


The ultimately Ultimate-induced Panic!

by Seal7035



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Bonding Time!, Flashback, Found Family, Kaede: now with a hint of sass, Multi, Nobody:..., Ships and relationships will be updated as they become apparent, Shuichi likes and gets head pats, Tenko and Kaito: sOMe BoDY ONce TolD mE..., a LOT of flashback, can be considered Gen as ship are not main focus, crude language, description of violence, everyone is a bit out of character but i hope it's not too much, everyone joins the Miu boycott bandwagon, most of the things down there are bullshit so take them with a grain of salt, original characters that actually are just rip-offs from the game, things get worse and then better and then absolute abysmal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 87,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seal7035/pseuds/Seal7035
Summary: In a far future, where society is desperate for talents and elites, so much that production of genetically modified babies is ratified. These babies are gifted with extraordinary aptitudes and are nurtured from their infant stage. They are the promise of an advanced and innovative future for humanity, so that mankind shall achieve supremacy.They are called.... Ultimates.---In which a bunch of Ultimates stick together under the same roof.No killing game? Doesn't mean they ain't gonna suffer.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Chabashira Tenko & Yumeno Himiko, Everyone & Everyone, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito
Comments: 27
Kudos: 117





	1. Happy Birthday! A little nice surprise for you!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome to this dumpster fire of a fic. 
> 
> There will be wholesome moments, not so wholesome moments, and moments that I don't know where I pulled out from my ass.
> 
> Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this little piece.
> 
> \---
> 
> Despite its grand scale intros, this is a very personal story.

In a far future, where society is desperate for talents and elites, so much that production of genetically modified babies is ratified. These babies are gifted with extraordinary aptitudes and are nurtured from their infant stage. They are the promise of an advanced and innovative future for humanity, so that mankind shall achieve supremacy.

They are called.... _ Ultimates. _

…

Shuichi Saihara wakes up to the ringing of the alarm. He groggily grabs the damn thing and throws it under the bed. Then he dunks his head deep in the pillow and returns to beauty dreamland.

It does not last long, though.

His uncle, the responsible and punctual man he is, swings the door open a few seconds after, his neon pink apron fluttering with the sudden force. The same goes for Shuichi’s window curtains and his blanket. Sunlight floods the room. Shuichi hisses at the sudden brightness. 

“Happy Birthday, Shuichi. Although as much as I want you to enjoy this day, you cannot skip school. Now get up, breakfast is ready.”

With a small groan, the boy complains, "five more minutes, uncle… I don't wanna up yet…"

"No. Get up. Any more sleep and my breakfast would go to waste. So hurry before I princess carry you out of bed."

Reluctantly, Shuichi drags himself out. He does mundane morning hygiene, then puts on his mundane blue-black uniform, and most importantly, the baseball cap his uncle gave him.

Uncle is already downstairs, stirring the pot of hot soup. Displayed on the table are two dishes of full, healthy meals. Shuichi sits in, lazily chomps on the piece of bacon. Uncle soon joins him at the table. 

“You are sleepy this morning, working on a case again?”

Shuichi looks up from his plate, “Ah, yes, it’s just Ms.Yana’s cat. He goes missing for a few days now and it’s worrying her.” Shuichi remembers when the woman had walked into the office crying. She told him the cat was her only companion in her empty house and without it she was all alone. 

Uncle folds his arms, sighing “I’m glad that you are dedicated to your work, but you have to look after yourself sometimes. Overworking would not do yourself nor the case any good.”

He then reaches out and pats Shuichi on the head. “I’m already proud of you, Shuichi. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

The boy smiles tentatively, fully welcoming the warm gesture.

“Anyways, since it’s your birthday, what do you want for a present?”

“Ah, you don’t have to get me anything, uncle. Haha, I’m already too big to receive birthday presents like that.”

“Nonsense, I’m well into my 40s and I still get presents from my favorite nephew”, he chuckles, gesturing to his apron. It is… not the most mature color, and has Hello Kitty with rainbows printed on it, but it was the best thing in the shop Shuichi could afford at the time. 

He had just started his first few investigations at the time and with a few yens in hands the only other thing Shuichi could buy was a cup, with another Hello Kitty on. Due to the nature of his field of work, a detective with a mug of Hello Kitty in hand certainly would not spell professionalism. So ran with the apron, Shuichi did. 

Uncle, however, was not disappointed, contrary to Shuichi’s initial hindsight. He was happy even, saying that it was the most meaningful present he had received in years. The man was single, writhing away in loneliness. His only friends were cases from days to night, like Ms.Yana and the cat, except cases don’t meow and don’t make your life brighter. Surely, to him, the neon pink Hello Kitty has brought some color to his grim and solemn life.

“Well, since you are so adamant on being mature, young lad. I’m going to give you the most mature present I have. How does that sound, Shuichi?”

“Haha, that would be great, uncle. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“No need to be so humble. Well then, expect a surprise this evening. Don’t go loitering around. And you better hurry up, school starts in fifteen minutes.”

“Oops, you’re right!” The boy stuffs the rest of breakfast in his mouth and rushes to the door. “Goodbye, uncle, see you later!”

Just as Shuichi disappears behind the door, the phone rings obnoxiously. 

“Hello?”

…

Shuichi arrives at school just in time the bell rings. He stops momentarily to catch his breathing after 10 minutes running. He tugs his cap down and walks to class. 

The scene is as vivid as usual. A few girls over there chit chatting about the newest hit from the Ultimate Pop Sensation, a few other boys talking enthusiastically about the Ultimate Baseball Star…  _ Ultimates  _ have become a thing in the current world, genetically edited individuals that can do wonders.

There are people who admire them, calling them the _ future _ of the world, worshipping them, giving them all kinds of priorities. Others despise them, afraid of their power and ability to dominate society. One thing is certain, more and more ultimates are emerging. 

Shuichi, honestly, doesn’t care about the whole Ultimates thing. He is content with his current life, solving cases, dinnering with his uncle after schools. People all have their own lives and their own business to attend. Why can't some people keep their nose out of others’ matters? Is it because boredom has tainted their livelihoods that they seek someone else’s to soil? 

Emo as Shuichi is, he has his endless narrations about life and bullshit. He ignores the commotion around and quietly settles in his own desk. His mind wanders back to the case he’s working on…

Ms.Yana’s cat has been lost for a week. She has pasted posters all around the district, yet no one reported seeing it, which is odd. The cat has uniquely jet black and white striped fur. Its eyes even have two distinct blue and green colors. Certainly if it simply gets lost, then someone would have noticed it and reported to its rightful owner. Unless it was taken away… A plausible theory, but it’s still too soon to make assumptions. It would break Ms.Yana’s heart and Shuichi would fail as a detective if he allows the investigation to end so prematurely. 

Unfortunately, the only lead he has is that the cat often strolled near an abandoned alley, like any other cats do. However, the fact that the alley was where it most frequented should at least make it worth considering. Shuichi is going to check it after school. Or tomorrow, because he promised his uncle that he would not wander after school today. But the cat should be found as soon as possible... maybe after the party then. It would be just another sleepless night for Shuichi. 

The teacher has walked in, starting his ramble about the importance of honing talents and improving one’s extraordinary…

The boy sighs and lets himself drift away in drowsiness.

…

Shuichi is jolted awake by the teacher slapping his Mathematic test result on his table. She gives him a scowl and he responds with an anxious smile. His test result is… not as good as the last one. Not at all surprising to Shuichi though. He knows he sleeps in classes a lot and misses a whole bunch of things. Fortunately, it is still a decent grade, by which Shuichi guarantees himself not to drop class next year. 

Makoto, a plain guy randomly sitting next to him, peers over his result paper and chirps. “Woah, Shuichi, you get such good grades! I kinda wish I could reach that score once, haha.”

He laughs as if it was a funny joke, by which Shuichi squints at the guy. Yet, even though the topic is so trivial, Shuichi decides to humour him. To him, Makoto is an endearing character, and the only one who bothers to have a friendly conversation with Shuichi. Sure, Shuichi is not hated in the class, but he is distant. After some time, his classmates just give up on him and turn to others to discuss their favourite matters(often involving an ultimate in some ways). The guy with green eyes next to him, however, seems much less of “have you seen Togami-sama’s newest hair style?” and more of “oh hi I think you’re nice so I want to talk to you”. Jeez, why are people like him so hard to find these days?

“Um, so, you’re not happy with the test?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, it’s just that I didn’t meet my ‘criteria’. Byakuya-kun is going to be so mad about this, aha…”

True enough, the devil is already by his side. Togami yanks the test out of Makoto’s hand. His eyes scan over the paper once, then twice, then lurks behind the shine of his glasses as he adjusts it in clear annoyance. Wordlessly, he scrunches the paper into a ball and tosses it to Makoto’s head. 

“Useless. The future would have no places for scums like you at this rate”, he spits and looks away with such contempt that tantamount to an owner finding his dog shitting in the house. 

Makoto freezes, staring blankly at the tall blond, his hand is still fumbling with the ball. The whole class stops to see the event unfold. 

That is unnecessarily cruel! Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, is known for his vindicity towards his peers, conceited demeanour and an endless sea of egoism. Yet girls still fawn over him, especially that one with braids usually seen outside of his school entrance. But that is beside the point. Byakuya is borderline abusing his classmate, Makoto, a nice guy with at least genuine intentions, over some silly tests that wouldn’t say much about a person’s ability? He sure has done that a few times, but this one has crossed a line. 

Shuichi considers intercepting, despite this being normally classified as “not his business”. Seriously, what kind of detectives just stand by the side and look at innocent people get bullied? 

As if sensing his intent, Makoto shares a knowing look. He then turns back to the one towering him, a smile returns to his lips. “Byakuya-kun, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“Tch!”, he looks in the other direction. 

“Are you in a bad mood today? Did something happen?” A pause. “ You can talk to me if you want to, you know?” Concern laces his voice. His brows furrow. Green eyes shining mildly with a hint of sparks in them. Even if Togami is not facing his way, he can feel that look on him, as the guy has gone still like a statue. Makoto’s pacifying spell, powerful enough to tame the wildest beasts. 

The blond is at loss of words for a good few seconds, not facing the other. Then he huffs, “See me during lunch. Unfortunately, it seems that I’ll have to tutor you on Math once again. You really are hopeless, Naegi. Do not let me down in your next attempt.”

Byakuya returns to his seat. The others resume their previous activities, with a few whispers here and there. 

Makoto settles down with a quiet chuckle.

“I’m sorry you have to see that, Shuichi. That’s so rude of him, seriously! But I promise you he’s not a bad person, just a little quirky from time to time”

Shuichi doubts that. Nevertheless, he has never known Togami personally, not as much as Makoto does, anyways, so he doesn’t pry into it. 

…

The rest of the day passes uneventfully. 

Shuichi picks himself up from the table and begins his venture back home.

Unexpectedly, a curious group of students gather at the school entrance. Some pass by, but not without sparing a glance or throw some random comments. Whatever it is, Shuichi tries not to be involved. He tugs down the baseball cap and sneaks away without sparing a glance. 

“Shuichi!”

The boy stops dead in his tracks. He knows that voice. The one that he hasn't heard for months and wishes not to hear anytime soon. 

His mother is waving at him from inside her large, luxurious-looking car. What brand it is, Shuichi has no interest in. His mind is more occupied with the murmurs from his schoolmates.

“Hey, isn’t that famous Ms.Saihara?”

“No way, you mean that famous actress, what is she doing here?”

“What the...that kid Saihara?”

“I thought it was just a coincidence?!”

Shuichi feels his heart quickening, his stomach twisting into a knot. People are gossipping. They are blabbering about businesses that are none of theirs. 

“So unfair, that anti-social guy…”

They judge everything at the surface level, not caring if there are more to the story.

“And then compare to his parents, the celebrities…”

Just like the people who work in showbiz.

His mother cheers with glistening jewellery on her. His father flexes his Rolax watch. Their faces are slick with make-up powder. Their lips tight into a plastic smile. They sit on the interview hot seats, then at the soundless dinner table. They hug, all lovey dovey in front of the camera, then sleep with someone else in bed. 

They never once give Shuichi a warm smile, nor a genuine hug, nor a proper dinner where family members just talk about their day. And then, he moved in to live with his uncle, a discreet man busy with cases yet still spare a bit of his time with Shuichi…

“Happy Birthday, Shuichi my baby!”

His mother steps out of the car and wraps her arms around his torso. Shuichi tried his best to subtly scoot away from her touch. Her long red fingernails are digging into him through the fabric. Her oversized earrings are poking at his neck. There is no warmth, just a simple soulless display of fake affection. 

“I miss you so much! Oh, my dear boy, wouldn’t you just accept your mother’s love a little”, the woman whines as if she is on the verge of tears. “I was so worried about you. You didn’t even pick up the phone!” _As if you ever call me!_ The sobbing show goes on and on for a good minute. He can hear someone snapping pictures, probably to post on social media with the caption “meet a cinematic star today and witness a heartbreaking reunion with her neglectful son”. Wow, if someone really makes that post, they must be an A+ Ultimate drama dickhead. (Ah...bad thoughts, Shuichi, bad thoughts…)

Only then does she release the poor boy, still tear-streaked. “Come on, you know I still love you regardless of what you do. *Sob*. Let’s head back to Hiroshi’s.” This is ridiculous! Yet for some reason those students over there are still aweing over the scene.

She pulls him into the car and drives away. Shuichi does not spend a glance at those behind him.

…

The car curbs by. Mother walks to the front door and pushes the bell.

A loud beeping sound, following with soft scrambling noise inside. 

“Aha, Shuichi, you’re finally bac…”

Uncle’s smile drops to a thin line. His expression reduces to solemn.

“Ueko, didn’t expect you to come so early.”

“What? How rude of you!”, she fakes a gasp, “Can’t I be excited about my favourite son’s 18 birthday party? It’s a big day! My boy has finally grown!” 

“I see. My apology. And Fuutarou?”

“He’ll arrive later, the biggest surprise should be saved for last, right?”, she even winks. “Party up, Shuichi. Your parents have reserved a huge present for you!”

…

Sitting on the table is a giant cake. No not a big cake, a giant cake, like the tower ones with ten layers that you may see in weddings. It’s taller than Shuichi on the table and looks like it’s about to touch the ceiling, with stars and sprinkles and all kinds of decors. Did uncle order it? That is too extra of him! Plus, he promised Shuichi the birthday was supposed to be mature! Wait, he only promised the present, not the cake. Right, right.

Mother takes the seat next to him. Uncle is at the adjacent side of the table, he’s probably not sitting across Shuchi because of the cake blocking him. He is still in the chair, arms iconically folded in front of his chest. However, he doesn’t seem to be at ease, evident in the slight crease of his brow and the corner of his lips refusing to curve upwards even a millimeter.

Shuichi’s mother, on the other hand, seems invigorated. She doesn’t say a word, though, instead fiddling with her phone, at times giggling. Shuichi notices her taking a picture of him once during the wait. 

He tries to initiate a conversation, however only met with the silence from his uncle and dismissive answers from mother, before she returns to her phone.

After a moment of awkward silence, finally the bell rings again. Uncle gets up to open the door. A moment later, both him and Shuichi’s father enter the room.

The later man proceeds to make himself the centre of attention. His steps are even and calculated, like a scripted performer making his debut on stage. His suit is immaculate with probably hours of ironing. His hair stroked backwards, shining under the light. His chest puffs out and he smiles under the spotlight. 

“Shuichi, my son, wonders to see you! Happy birthday, my boy.”

He speaks with guarded enthusiasm, arms wide open to embrace his son. Shuichi goes immediately rigid under the touch. Just like with his mother’s, this hug does not carry any warmth with it. The man pats Shuichi’s shoulder with a few taps and settles down next to his wife.

“Hmm, generous preparation from you, Hiroshi. You never strike me as the type to be excited about birthdays.” The man says, eyeing the cake up and down. 

“Anyways, if we leave it for too long, the icing would melt. It would be such a waste to let this gorgeous feast go like that. Come on, everyone, let’s dig in!”

The meal goes on without much problem, with father constantly talking about the trips he has at work, the CEO of a production studio and so on. Mother would sometimes chime in to share about her deals with a make-up company, or the newest film she would star in...Both the other two listen with little interest, out of courtesy more than anything. However, Shuichi also can’t help but wonder why his parents are so excited today. Certainly not only because it was his birthday, as sad as it is. They never attended one in the past, if they did, it would have been so long that Shuichi has no memory of. Even right now, they still don’t bother to ask how his life has been, hardly sparing a glance his way. 

Uncle doesn’t seem so relaxed, either. His finger tapping on the table when his hands are not busy scooping bits of cake. His eyes would sometimes scrutinize the other two as if they are about to break something in the house. Then he would sigh impatiently. It is almost like he is anticipating something. 

The banal talk(from the two very colorful individuals in the room) comes to an end when father slightly drops his fork with a ‘clang’, the cake half-finished. He claps two hands together, the same action when the showman signals that his performance is about to begin.

“Shuichi. Today is a very special day. Which is why, despite all the bombarding clusters at work, mom and dad are here to celebrate this day with you,” the man introduces with a flourish. “It’s also to deliver good, very important news!”

Shuichi finds himself a little surprised. Uncle narrows his eyes. 

“Have you ever wondered why you aren’t treated with respect and reverence as you should have been? Although you are our child, the world-renowned actress and screenwriter?” Mother continues. “I only came to your school once, and I already know how your schoolmates regard you. It was like you are a nobody, like you are talentless!”

“And they will regret that they treated you in such a way. Because you are not like them, Shuichi. You are special, you are talented. Even if you are not aware of it yet, it’s already a part of you ever since you were born!”

Shuichi can sense something off, something very wrong. Something that would disrupt his peaceful life forever.

“You are an _ Ultimate _ , Shuichi! The Ultimate Actor nonetheless!”

“What?” Shuichi stares at the two facing him. They must be delusional. He knows his parents usually act so dramatically because of their work as performers, but they can’t be that bad, right? There’s no way Shuichi can be an actor like them. He hates lying. He hates the crooked facades these people brandish on their faces for the world to see. He hates the life built upon fictions they lead. He hates the neglect his parents put him through. 

Everything Shuichi ever wants is to stay with his uncle and solve cases. Even if the work is dwindling at times, he is happy with his job. He likes it when justice and fairness are brought to the clients. He likes it when Ms.Yana would find her cat and be relieved that she would not have to live in solitude. He likes it when he is with his uncle, and in a rare moment uncle would pat him on the back for a job well done. Oh no… they are going to take that away from him, don’t they?

“Now, hurry up and pack your bags Shuichi. You are movin…”

“No.”

Uncle, who has been silent the whole time, cuts in. He moves to stand between Shuichi and his parents. 

“You cannot make him leave, unless he wants to. Shuichi is an adult now, he can make decisions for himself.”

Uncle looks at him softly.

“Do you want to move in with them, Shuichi?”

The boy’s gaze casts downwards at the question. He awkwardly tugs his fringes when he realizes the cap protecting him is not there. He has already made his mind, but doesn’t find the resolve to put it into words. After opening and closing his mouths a few times, he resolutely says.

“No. I want to stay with uncle.”

Two gasps are heard. Then, like a volcano erupts after thousands of years sleeping, it explodes.

Father stomps forward, face bright red, a vein pops on his forehead. 

“No? NO? NO ONE SAYS “NO” TO ME! You are just a snotty little brat! Who do you think gives you all the food and clothes and talents you have now? IT’S ME! I poured my money just to fertilize you ungrateful foetus and grow you into the fucking runt you are now!”

His hand balls into a fist and raises high. Uncle intervenes, holding his shoulders and pushes him backwards. “AND YOU! YOU FAMELESS BASTARD!”

A fist springs an uppercut. They are pulled into a scuffle. Uncle struggles to keep the furious man in place while said man yells nonstop profanities. His mother is also shouting angrily in the background. Shuichi just stands there dumbfounded. Anxiety creeps into his mind space. Has he done something wrong? Is it wrong to just live the life he wants to? Should he take back what he said and go along with his parents? Maybe that would be the better option, before anyone gets hurt…

“Shuichi!”

Uncle’s call snaps him out of the trance. 

“Get out of here! Just go, live  _ the life you want to _ . I’ll try to dissolve the situation.” He barely misses a punch coming his way. 

“You are a smart kid, Shuichi, you’ll know how to handle yourself.”

Shuichi’s brain short circuits. Run away? Is his uncle suggesting he run away? Isn’t that a bit too extreme? Then Shuichi notices the seriousness on his uncle’s face. He is determined, from a few chances of eye contact in the middle of a physical fight. This is no joke, he really wants Shuichi to run. The boy watches the two men before hesitantly tearing his eyes away. He grabs the baseball cap sitting nonchalantly on the table and heads off. Leaving the chaos behind his back.

The boy runs down the sloping pavement, past a desolated park, under the dim street light. Where his legs are carrying him, he has no ideas. All he knows is that adrenaline coursing in his vessel, threatening to burst. Father, mother, talents, Ultimates, schools, classmates,... fuck them all. He merely wishes to solve cases and maybe become a detective like his uncle and now that is all ruined. Entitled as his parents are, they definitely won’t let this slide. The only place he ever finds peace anymore is uncle’s house, which he can’t return to. 

But then, Shuichi has nowhere else to go. No cash, no possessions, the only thing he has left is his not-washed-for-the-whole-day uniform and his baseball cap. Resigned, the boy strolls defeatedly. His only option is to go back and accept whatever is thrown at him. Perhaps when he is well-off enough, he can throw off his parents, retire from the whole acting career and go back to live with his uncle. Sounds like a plan, but Shuichi doesn’t want to return just yet. He needs some time for himself first. So he walks aimlessly, eventually stopping in front of an abandoned alley, the one that seems a little familiar. 

‘This alley, is the one Ms.Yana said her cat often wandered to!’

Curiosity takes over his exhausted body, cutting off a little of anxiety residing in his stomach.

He ventures into the shadow covering the small path, using his hands to make out the way forward. Squeaks and scurries of rodents sound under his feet. The stench of trash and rust from old plumbs are unmistakable. And in the dead of the hollowed path, a pair of footsteps echo. 

Shuichi breaks into cold sweat. The footsteps are getting louder and louder. The squeaking intensifies for a moment before it fades into the distance. His heart is getting more and more erratic. Thousands of possibilities flood his brain. Who is it? Who would be out at this hour? In the middle of an alley full of rubbish? Why? How? Are they following him?

The footsteps stop right behind him. Faint hitches of breaths blow behind his neck. Shuichi feels his muscles tense up, refusing to move. Yet, with all his will power, he slowly turns around…

And catches a glimpse of golden strands glowing under the moonlight.

  
  



	2. New guy in town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the newbie joins the pack...

“Boo!” 

“Woaaaaaaaahh!”, the boy in front of her squeals and falls onto his butt. Now she knows he’s definitely a boy based on how his voice sounds.

“Ehehe, hahaha!”, she laughs contentedly. It is the most funny thing she has seen today. Normally, something would happen with her group of misfits, yet today was a bit gloomy, so seeing this unknown boy losing his composure is a refresh. But she does feel a bit sorry for him, just a bit.

“Haha”, she stops a second to catch her breath, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you like that. It was quite fun, though!”

The girl stretches her arm to him, pulling him up. 

“Hello, it’s a little strange that you are wandering around this place. What are you doing here?”

“Ah, well, I’m just looking for a cat”, he replies shyly, lightly scratching behind his head. “It has been missing for a few days…”

“Oh, your cat?”

“No, not really, but an acquaintance asked me to find it for her.”

“I see, that is very kind of you, but at this hour?”

“I usually work at night.”

“Okay, that’s it’s not very healthy… but you do what you do, I guess. But I can assure you, I often pass through this alley and I see no pets visiting this place, so maybe you should look elsewhere.” ‘Distract him, we don’t need outsiders loitering around here’. “Perhaps you should go back home and take a good rest, and you can find your cat tomorrow!”

The boy seems dejected at that. She cannot see his expression very well in the dark, but the sound of his breathing becomes uneven for a moment, and her ears have never failed her.

“Hmm…? Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah, no, sorry. It’s just that…it’s kind of complicated. I can’t go back home, at least not now…”

He looks away sheepishly, even though he knows she can’t see his face anyways. There’s undoubtedly something going on with him. And despite it’s none of her business, she can’t help but be concerned.

“If you want to talk about it, feel free! Let it out and you’ll be better in no time!” She does her usual optimistic pose, out of habit because the other probably can’t see it clearly anyways. Her friends tell her that her enthusiasm is infectious and always succeeds in “hauling their asses along”, so she can at least hope it would move this troubled boy a little bit.

As expected, he gives in.

“My parents… wanted me to move in with them. I was living with my uncle and… I was happy there. But they won’t let me. We broke into a fight, and now I can’t return.”

Ahh, teenage outbursts, she sees. Jeez, why are young people these days so impulsive? A little conflict and they run away from home. Although she herself is a teenager, too, the girl considers herself more mature than these hormonal young men. Unlike many, she has been through rough times.

“I see, well, maybe it’s best that you go back and talk things out with your parents. Surely they will understand! You are their first priority, afterall!”

The boy sighes visibly.

‘Shoot! Did I say something wrong again?’

“Ummm, sorry. I don’t think my parents really care about me…”

Woah! Yuck! This guy is so emo, too. What kind of edgy kids just go around and blabber about their parents not loving them? Unless he is really that neglected, he does say he lives with his uncle. But again, no, at least his parents must care for him to some degree, right?

“Ahh… I’m sorry. It’s insensitive of me to talk about this to you.”

“Oh, no, not at all, don’t worry!”

Oops, now she would feel guilty if she doesn’t hear him out. Thankfully, the night is still long, so she has time to spare.

“Just… continue.”

“Ah, well, that’s pretty much the whole story. I’m sorry for taking your time. I’ll be leaving now.”

‘Ugh, dammit.’ Certainly there’s something he’s holding back. Granted, she believes it’s something trivial, but him leaving like that would just guilt-trip her even more! Jeez, why is this guy so difficult?

“No no no, you’re not taking my time at all! I have all night!” Oh, wow, she’s panicking, and that wording is super suspicious, too. ‘Come on, me, keep it together!’ “Just let it out! Maybe I can help!” Ahhh, whoever up there please save her!

“Really, there’s nothing much else… It’s just that, my parents suddenly told me I’m an Ultimate and demanded me to go with them...”

‘Ah, here goes. Wait! What?!’ “You’re WHAT?!”

“Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have. Please don’t mind what I said.”

  
“No way! You said you’re an  _ Ultimate _ , right?” He is not bluffing about it, isn’t he? No, his voice is shaken, he’s clearly distraught. 

“Well, yes. It sounds crazy. I don’t believe it, either, so…”

‘Shit!’ She takes back whatever conclusion she arrived at. This situation is the  _ real deal _ ! This is no mundane parent-children quarrel at all! This is seriously life-and-death matters!

She grabs both of his shoulders. 

“ _ No _ .  _ Don’t go back _ .”

“Eh?”

“You heard me. Do not go back. Not to your parents. Not to your uncle. Especially not to your uncle, if you want to keep both him and yourself safe.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you are confused right now. Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you. Just… follow me.”

“Why?”, the boy seems guarded. He is skeptical, as he should be. That would be necessary to survive in their world.

“You don’t have anywhere to go to, right? It’s okay, I’ll lead you to our abode. You’ll be safe there.”

There is no reply. There's no footsteps following her, either. She sighs defeatedly.

“Haizz...If you insist, I’ll explain it to you out here. We should move in a little. It won’t be good if someone accidentally passes by and eavesdrops on us. Oh, and you are?”

“Shuichi.”

Shuichi, huh. It’s that his first name? He just skips his surname and goes straight to his first name? This boy is peculiar…

“Alright, Shuichi, my name is Kaede Akamatsu. We are going to stick together for a long time. So let’s help each other out!”

…

If Shuichi was baffled before, that amount has just multiplied ten times, mixing with a delicious spoon of horror.

“What? No way, you must be joking!” The boy flinches visibly, taking a few steps backwards. His breathing is laboured and staccatic, like a fish out of water. In figurative sense, he kind of is. This must be all new and terrifying, and Kaede hates it. She understands too well the feeling of being splashed in the face by the cold, callous reality. 

“I’m sorry, Shuichi. This is all  _ real _ . Ultimates like us are treated like slaves under their custodians’ hands. They have full authority to forcefully remove you from where you are,  _ legally _ . They can call the police, enforcing units to capture you…” A brutal reminder aches in the back of her mind. “And in extreme cases, they can call gangsters on you. Tying you up, beating you,... It’s all allowed as long as you don’t die. The authority would just sweep it right under the rug and let it happen…”

Her fists clench, fingernails digging into her palm, opening an old wound. Whether the wound is in her palm or in her soul, it’s all the same pain. Her entire arm is shaking.

“My friends… the other Ultimates, they also suffer from the same fate, but we escaped, barely. Some others aren’t so lucky. We get together in a small shelter and hide there. Everyone knows each other and we all share the same sentiment. It’s not the most convenient, but it’s safe.”

Letting her temporary anger subsides, Kaede extends her hand. 

“So come with us, Shuichi. As fellows in the same hardship, we will protect you. This society is against us, but we will have each other.”

Contrary to Kaede’s flaring passion, the boy in front of her is unresponsive. His breathing pattern has yet to be steady, in fact, it’s even more out of it. Based on what little light is casted on him, she can his head turning back and forth between her hand and the trashcan nearby. He even tugs on his cap nervously. 

Nevertheless, Kaede is not discouraged in the slightest. She keeps her hand outstretched, staring at him with her most determined gaze and smile, even if he can’t see it. She would wait, because she cannot possibly leave this clueless boy behind to survive in his newfound merciless reality. He and them share the same story. He is one of them. And if there is something Kaede can do anymore, it’s to pull her friends out of dangers.

The silence lasts for a few minutes, yet it feels like hours have passed. If this moment goes to waste, the consequences will be a lifetime. Finally, after debating rigorously (as she sees it), the boy decides to take the offer and catches her hand into his. Shuichi squeezes it slightly, seemingly to ground himself on to the last fragile layers of his sense of being. 

Kaede brings up her other hand, patting lightly on the knot of hands connecting them together.

“There, there. I’ll be here. Take your time.”

The boy squeezes a little tighter. Another moment passes. Still a bit shaken, Shuichi decisively says.

“I’m ready. Lead the way.”

…

Echos of their footsteps reverberate into the deep, dark alley. After a few turns, they stop at a grim wooden door that could be very easily missed if one is not paying attention.

“Okay, here we are!”

Kaede looks behind her to make sure the newbie is following up. The silhouette of the boy is trailing behind, panting heavily. He must not be very good at physical workouts. Kaede makes a mental note of it. She’ll have him do something light afterwards, and a bit of training to improve his build. But that’s a worry saved for later.

“Welcome to our secret hideouts, Shuichi!”

The door creaks open. Light flows out of the entrance, painting against the chilly shadow in the desolated alley. Kaede sees her new companion for the first time. 

He looks… quite ordinary, actually, and a little feminine, too. My, Kaede, what did you expect? Raven hair falls limply on his face. Greyish-yellow irises veiled by lines of long eyelashes. Normal-looking uniform and… a cap. Actually, he’s pulling his cap down to hide from the sudden change in brightness.

She wonders what he catches about her appearance, since she also considers herself normal-looking. 

They pass through the threshold. Someone is already waiting at the doorstep.

“Welcome back, Kaede, I hope you enjoyed your night stroll.” Elegantly, she says. However, her facial expression shifts into worry as she notices the presence of someone new.

“Kaede. Who is this?” She can sense Shuichi recoiling behind her. He’s really shy, isn’t he?

“Oh, him?” Kaede chuckles nervously, “He’s our newest member, another fugitive Ultimate. I just met him in the alley. Come on, Shuichi!” She pushes him forwards, his back muscles tense up immediately. “Introduce yourself!”

The boy scratches the back of his head and bows. 

“I’m Shuichi. P-PLease to make acquaintance with you.”

The girl in black subtly scans him. She heaves a sigh.

“My pleasure to meet you, Shuichi-san. My name is Kirumi Toujou, the Ultimate Maid. Welcome to our humble abode. While you are here, please make yourself at home.”

Kirumi ushers the boy to the dinning table in the kitchen. The girl doesn’t forget to whisper to Kaede, though.

“Kaede, I think you and I are going to have a talk after this.”

‘Woah, I’m in trouble, it seems.’

…

The two of them settle down quietly, while Kirumi is hovering over the stove, brewing some tea.

The room is mostly awkward silence, aside from the hissing from the kettle. Shuichi’s hands are placed on the table surface, rubbing the palms. HIs eyes dart back and forth, taking in the surrounding environment. Kaede wonders what his talent is. He told them his name (his first name) but never mentioned his Ultimate talent, probably because he thinks it’s not important in their previous conversation. But Kaede is kinda curious, so she’s going to ask him. However, it was interrupted by the stomping by the stair.

“Kaede! You’re back, I see light from downstairs. Please don’t be mad, Tenko didn’t mean what she sai…”

Her words are cut short when she sees an unfamiliar face. Her excitement changes to confusion, to disgust, to utter disgust…

“What the…?! What is that blackie  _ degenerate _ doing here?”, she points an accusing finger to Shuichi. The boy shrinks in his seat. “YOU! Who the HELL are you?”, she poses defensively, “You BETTER answer Tenko or else she will THROW your head THROUGH the ceiling!”

Kaede raises her hands as a pacifying gesture. It doesn’t work, though.

“Nyeh! You are loud. What are you yelling at at this hour?”

Another girl descends stairs. She rubs her eyes groggily, disturbing her messy red bob hair.

“Ah, Himiko! Tenko sorry for waking you up. There’s a suspicious degenerate in the house. Don’t worry, Tenko will protect you!”

“Nyahahaha!”, another voice rings, “How divine! There’s a new member in the group it seems!”

The girl with silver hair lithely skips down the steps, passing the other two and stands face to face with the newest member. She snatches his hands and shakes them vigorously.

“Hello! Hello! Nice to meet ‘cha, new member! It must be Kamii-sama’s will that guided you here!”

Shuichi mumbles a small “hello” to her, obviously overwhelmed by the girls’... exuberant personalities.

“Angie! Stay away from that sketchy degenerate! Goodness knows what he might do.”

“Haha! Fret not, my friend, for this one is tame! Kamii-sama has just announced that he won’t hurt a single one of us!”

“Nyeh… I don’t care. If he’s not causing any trouble, I’m going back to sleep. *yawn* G’night.”

“Wait, Himiko!”

“What?! There’s a stranger in the house!” A boy with purple hair runs down stairs, nearly bumps into Himiko in the process.

“Watch it! You degenerate! If you hurt one single strand on her hair, I’ll make sure you get it!”

“Sorry, sorry”, he waves apologetically, “But a new guy! In the middle of the night? That’s wild! Kaede, did you fetch your boyfriend here?”

“You insensitive degenerate! How dare you suggest something so vile!”

Blood rushes to Kaede’s face. Shuichi looks like he would have slipped beneath the table if not for Angie holding him up.

“No! You got it all wrong! He’s not…”

“Kyahaha! Kaediot brings a man home! Oh my! Bet’ cha can’t keep it bottled up anymore!”. Another girl appears, dressed in bright pink . So bright, it’s technically glowing under the kitchen light.

“My, my, that horny boy toy is even gobbling me up with those hungry eyes! Don’t be shy! Everyone is enticed by this gorgeous girl with a golden brain!”

“Stop it, Miu! You’re scaring him!”

True to his words, Shuichi's face has gone paler than a sheet. Forget about Angie, the guy has melted into a figurative pulp. 

“Shut up! Space idiot! Your virgin dick knows nothing about appreciating beauty!”

“Hey, whose dick are you calling a virgin!?”

“Say WHAT again!?”

Amidst the chaos, another pair of footsteps comes down, this time is a boy with light green hair.

“I heard yelling, can someone tell me what’s going on?”

“Listen up, Avocado! You have lost your chance to lose your virginity to Kaediot over there, over some plain-looking fucker she picks up on the street!”

“Like I said! It’s not what you’re thinking! Not to mention that was extremely rude of you!”

“Yeah! Keep your potty mouth to yourself!” The boy with purple hair chimes in, still held by the collar by an apparently very pissed Tenko. “No one wants to hear about your kinky fantasy!”

He takes a slap from the girl holding him. “Wha..? What was that for?!”

“Ahhh… you called me kinky… that’s so,... hah ❤"

“Ewwwwww!”

“you are all so loud...there goes another night…”

“Haha, that doesn’t seem healthy, does it?”

‘Space Idiot’ and Miu continue to exchange banters. Tenko is bulging her eyes out. Angie is humming “there, there” while smothering Shuichi’s hair, trying to comfort him. The boy in question looks like he’s about to pass out any time. Himiko is tired and keeps mumbling about “I would have used magic to shut you all up if I had enough MP”, eager to go back to sleep. Kaede is frustrated. ‘Avocado’ is confused in the middle of it all. 

“What an intriguing scene”, a new occupant slips in without anyone noticing. “Surely, this is the.. Most enthusiastic welcome for our guest.” The guy speaks through his facial mask.

“He seems quite dissatisfied, though. Are you sure we should just let them be?”

“You’re right. I should not have let our new member tolerate this situation.”

With two tea spoons in her hands, Kirumi approaches Tenko, who is manhandling ‘Space Idiot’, who is struggling while protesting against “physical violence”.

Teaspoons raised up high...then slammed down on both of them. The two crash head first through the wooden floorboards, butts up towards the sky. 

Miu has snapped out of her orgasm. Trembling like a leaf, she hides behind ‘Avocado’, who laughs half-heartedly.

Seeing that she has everything under control, Kirumi turns to face Shuichi and bows.

“My biggest apology. You had to witness this mess. Unfortunately, this is how our group often operates, please do understand.”

The boy awkwardly waves his hands in dismissal. 

“Ah, no, you don’t have to apologise! I-I don’t mind it at all!”

“Kukukuku…”, the masked boy giggles ominously in the background.

Like a mother looking after a bunch of infants, the Ultimate Maid orders everyone to sit around the table. “In a civilised manner”, she highlights, by which the others oblige… to a permissible extent. Tenko still threatens to sock the boy with purple hair in the face, however she relents when Kirumi sends her a sharp glare. Said boy grumbles annoyingly, picking at the pieces of wood still stuck in his hair. Miu says something inappropriate again, which is quickly shushed out by Kaede who is next to her. Shuichi sits on her other side. The rest swiftly find their place in the circle.

“So, um, I know that we are all excited because of a new member joining us”, she starts eloquently, which unfortunately meets some disapproving responses, which are quickly shut down by Kirumi. “However, I think it’s best that we don’t bombard him right off the bat. What happened just now was not how we are supposed to greet him, so let’s start again! We’ll go clockwise, introduce your name, then add in something else you like, your Ultimate talent for example. I’ll start first.”

She looks at Shuichi besides her. 

“As you know, my name is Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. I love piano and practice piano a lot.” “Piano freak!”, Miu adds and receives a knock on the head. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me or any of the members. We’ll gladly help you!”

She sits down. The girl known as Miu pops up.

“Miu Iruma! The genius gorgeous girl! Ultimate Inventor for you!” She laughs deliriously, spit flies across the table and seemingly hits the boy with purple hair across her. “You have requests, you find me! Electrical appliances and the alikes are one thing, but if you want a real quickie, or a release, I’m on it as well! Just make sure that…”

“Alright, that’s enough, Miu.” Kirumi pulls her down by the shoulder. She sighs for the nth time of the day. Thank you, Kirumi. “You have known me as Kirumi Toujou, please feel free to address any queries with me at any time. That’s all.” 

The maid’s introduction is short, clear-cut, mostly because she has already said the same thing to Shuichi before, and the maid puts emphasis on efficiency. Comes next is the boy with light green hair, who has been tame throughout the whole encounter, especially when you consider a jutting group like this. 

“Hello, new guy. My name is Rantarou Amami. I may look suspicious, with the piercings and all… but I assure you, I have no ill intentions! I can do hairdressing, and some dressing-up stuff. That’s all about me, I guess. And yeah, don’t be afraid to voice out anything.”

The tall guy with a mask on takes his turn. Wait, since when did he get in the room?

“Greetings, my name is Korekiyo Shinguji, Ultimate Anthropologist. I like observing and studying other humans and their cultures. You have to admit humanity is a beautiful being, graced with top-notch intelligence and sentimentality. Perhaps you are also interested in the subject, then I’m all happy to discuss the matter with you. Ah, that doesn’t mean it has to be about sophisticated philosophies or the likes, I’m glad to talk about just anything.”

Korekiyo… he’s quite an odd one, a little uncanny, if Kaede is honest. However, she doesn’t dislike him. In fact, she admires his temperament and acute observations at times, and he has proven himself to have a kind heart, hence he is well-accepted in their midst. Then goes the next one.

“Kaito Momota! Luminary of the Star! I’m known as the Ultimate Astronaut. Going to space is my life-long dream! I eat, sleep, and live with the stellars. Sorry I can’t greet you in my top form though. You came so abruptly I didn’t get the chance to prepare!”

“Ah...sorry.”

“No worries, dude! You’re one of us now.” Kaito reaches across the table and pats Shuichi by the shoulder.

Kaito and Shuichi, they are going to get along swimmingly well! Just the first few interactions and they already act like best friends, from Kaito’s side at least. 

And then the next… huh?

The one with the red bob is sprawled on the table, shoulders rising up and down with her breath. That’s really adorable, unfortunately, as much as Kaede doesn’t want to disturb her, Himiko has to get up and finish her part. Tenko lays the little girl up. 

“Hmmm… what a pain. *yawwwwwwn* Himiko Yumeno. Ultimate Mage.”

Then she goes back to sleep. 

“Kyahh! Himiko’s sleeping form is so cute! Just look at her! She’s like the most precious thing in the world!”

The one next to her squeaks in delight. She shortly notices the others are waiting, so the girl clears her throat.

“Ahem! Normally, I wouldn’t bother to tell a degenerate my name, but since Kaede asked, I’ll bearingly reveal it to you. Tenko’s name is Tenko Chabashira, I’m the Ultimate Neo Aikido Master, so don’t you dare lay a hand on me, or any of the girls here, or Tenko will make sure you get it!”

She acts a little hostile, but that’s how she is to every boy. As Tenko has not got physical with Shuchi yet, Kaede thinks this is as good as it can be. She recalls back when the Aikido Master first met Kaito… now that is the epitome of a rocky start. They at least tolerate each other’s presence now, for that the pianist is glad. 

“Yo ho! And don’t forget me! I’m Angie Yonaga, the oracle who delivers Kamii-sama’s prophecies! Though the others often refer to me as the Ultimate Artist! Anyways, nice to meet you!”

Angie is still as lively as always, good for her. And lastly, our main character of the night…

The boy besides her is sweating profusely, eyes ducking away behind the comfort of his baseball cap. He opens and closes his mouth for a few times, debating whether it is the good time to start.

Finally, he hoists himself up from the chair. The rest of the group follow his movement, anticipating.

With a gulp, Shuichi begins.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Shuichi. And my Ultimate talent is...”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to drop a bit of info here:
> 
> Ultimates may be raised in different manners, some are freed into society since young, they may or may not be aware of their status as Ultimates. Other may involved being raised in laboratories or trained in private. And then there are more... special cases.
> 
> Regardless, they all have "custodians" who act as handlers and will be in charge of nurturing them. Custodians have full power over Ultimates, as long as they are made to "grow right".  
> \---  
> And under some circumstances, the death of an Ultimate can be classified as "accidents".


	3. Lively life. Languid life.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...continue where we left off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi gets quarantined.

Shuichi feels all eyes on him. It makes him want to dig a hole right beneath his feet and hide there for the rest of his miserable life. 

Everyone has made their debut and here he is, still at loss of what to say. What should he give them then, leaving only his first name is already dubious as it is, how would they think of him if he leaves out his so-called Ultimate tallent, too? Yet Shuichi doesn’t want to be recognised as the Ultimate Actor. He despises the life of acting, the same one that his parents live. He doesn’t want to be viewed as an actor, because even if the others in the room buy it, there is no way Shuchi can pull an act to showcase himself as an Ultimate, that is simply not who he is! 

“I’m sorry, I don’t think it’s something worth mentioning.”

The reaction is immediate.

“THIS GUY! He’s SHADY as fuck!”

“Argh! Degenerate! Stop being a cryptid. You better do it properly before Tenko THROWS you out!”

“Hey, quit it! Listen to what he has to say first!”

“My, my. Kamii-sama says it’s conspicuous that you are hiding something from us!”

Toujou promptly gets a hold of the commotion by slamming her palms on the table to get their attention. With a concerning frown, Akamatsu nudges him.

“Shuichi, can you explain what you meant by that? Is not that we want to doubt you, and I believe you have a good reason behind it. However, our livelihoods are also at stake by accepting strangers into the house. We are wanted by the government, afterall, so please understand. We want to trust you just as much as we trust each other, but you have to give us an assurance that that trust would not be wasted.”

Her eyes bore into his.

“Please, Shuichi.”

Her tone is too earnest. She wants a reason to believe in him. Funny how just an hour earlier, she was the one beseeching his trust. Shuichi has already regretted ever taking up her offer, or meeting her, or defying his parents in the first place. Yet, there is something deep in his consciousness nagging him. The look his uncle gave him when he begged him to flee. There was quiet desperation, mixed with a tint of worry and fear. Worry and fear for his being. Did he know what would happen had he not interfered? Then, Uncle might have been risking himself to give Shuichi an escape, and Shuichi would be betraying his effort if he gives up so soon.

“Sorry if I made it seem like I’m deliberately withholding information from you. My talent… what my parents told me today was not something I’m proud of. I’m quite ashamed of it, actually, and it’s not something I have done in my entire life either, so I don’t think it would be right to claim it as an Ultimate title, as that is not who I want to be!” He squeezes his eyes shut, not wishing to see the disappointed look from the other members. He bows hastily. “Please do understand.” Voice reduced to a mere murmur, Shuichi feels like a lone ant in the vast garden. He’s alone, vulnerable, without a colony, because it’s true. If the other members decide to kick him out, he would have nowhere to turn to. Sooner or later, his parents would catch up to him, and if what Akamatsu told him was true, heck, even if it’s not true, his parents would spare no mercy on him. 

He has seen the ruthless violence his father is willing to inflict upon him. He has seen their disregard for his being. If there is something Shuichi learnt in his 17 years of life, it’s that to them, he’s simply an attainable good to earn wealth, fame and self-satisfaction. The good that is labeled by an Ultimate talent.

Shuichi knows he is not too convincing in his persuasion. It’s a last ditch effort to ask them to let him stay. For the rest, he can only wait and hope.

“I wasn’t expecting that. Honestly, *chuckle* that’s quite the same sentiment that most people here share.”

Shuichi peers up from behind his cap. Amami is speaking. All eyes shift on him now. The pressure crushing his heart is lightened.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still have some questions for you. But I want to respect your privacy, so I won’t be privy.” After a minute contemplating, he raises his hand. “I propose to let him stay.”

The rest, some look skeptical, others are agreeable. Eventually, they all conclude that they would let him take refuge in their group for the time being. Shuichi finds himself able to breath again.

Akamatsu places a hand above her chest, exhales in relief. Suddenly, she perks up.

“Oh, I don’t see Ryoma and Gonta here. Where are they?”

“Those two are on task to retrieve our orders. They would be back by morning.” Toujou says dutifully. “I’m sure that everyone is tired by now. You are dismissed. Shuichi, I will show you your living space, and Kaede, stay there.”

Said girl laughs nervously, knowing the night is going to be long for her.

…

Kirumi instructs him to a small room near the end of the hall. When he opens the door, he sees Momota, about to turn off the table lamp.

“Oh, hi! Shuichi!”

So he’s gonna be Momota’s roommate then. The boy is friendly enough to him so he guesses it’s not too bad.

…

Except Momota snores like a beast. It’s 4am, Shuichi has tried to drift off on his new futon for the third time, but to no avail.

His nights working in a detective agency have been soundless, tranquil. His brain would jolt him awake with just a small gust of the wind. And then here is Momota, whose snore can travel a whole kilometer have the walls not stopped it.

Shuichi resigns that he would not get his sleep today anyways. The stress that comes from the hast change in the environment and the knowledge that his life would not be the same anymore is catching up with him. He hears a creak from the downstair. Curious, Shuichi thinks of getting up to investigate. Would the other think it’s suspicious? They do imply that intrusion is a real threat. Shuichi would be living here in the foreseeable future, so it only makes sense that he is also liable to the safety of the household. With that ration, the boy proceeds with his initial plan.

…

For the third time in a row, Shuchi feels too small for the world.

In front of him is a hulk. A burly, hefty, gargantua, you name it, hulk with firm muscles billowing under the layer of clothing. The figure blocks out any light slipping through the house entrance, dark red eyes glow in the shadow.

Shuichi falls into his butt, petrified. The giant kneels down, eyes to eyes with him.

“Gonta doesn’t recognize you. You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“It’s okay Gonta, he’s our new member. Don’t scare him.”

The small light near the entrance door turns on. Toujou is standing a few steps behind him.

“Ah, Gonta sees”. The giant’s face brightens, any trace of hostility disappears. “Sorry new member. Gonta is Gonta Gokuhara. Nice to meet new member. Gonta hopes new member likes bugs.”

“How did it do?”

A new voice reply. “As usual. Those guys were being cryptic about the next meeting location, sprayed paint on me”, he wipes at the blue and red color on his cheek, “dropped the items, then scurried away. It took some time to find our way back, so we’re back a bit later.”

The guy, who is at Shuichi’s eye level even though he’s lying on the ground, turns to him. “So, you’re the new guy. Since when?”

“Um...just from tonight.”

“So fast, huh. You guys are deciding quick. No matters. Ryoma Hoshi, used to be known as Ultimate Tennis Pro. And in case you don’t notice, the guy behind me is an Entomologist. He likes bugs.”

“Shuichi. Pleased to meet you.”

Shuichi pulls himself up to a kneeling position, offering a hand. Hoshi takes it and shakes gently. Gokuhara follows suit. 

“You two must be weary now. Come on in. Take a rest for the day.”

She disappears into the house. Gonta also soon gets in the house, leaving Hoshi idling in front of him. 

Shuichi feels something nudging him by the side. 

“Meow.” Two large, mismatched eyes staring at him. 

“Ah, M’match, she tags along with me everywhere.”

The cat jumps into Hoshi’s arm, cuddling. Something jabs in the back of Shuichi’s memory 

Cat, heterochromia eyes, black and white striped fur. He knows it. It’s Ms.Yana’s! So it did come here, afterall.

Hoshi notices him staring. 

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”   
  


“Ah no. But um...just curious, when did first you see it?”

“She.” Hoshi grunts.

“Sorry! When did you first see her?”

“Hmm. Bold of you to assume she’s not mine in the first place.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that...”

“You say sorry a lot. But okay. She’s a stray, just met her in the alley a few days ago and she stuck to me since then.” The short man plays with the padding in her paws. “It’s quite nice, having her around. So I keep her.”

“Oh, I see.” Shuichi trails off. 

The cat’s green and blue eyes stare at him, its-her- tail brushes against Hoshi’s jacket. “meow?”

It doesn’t matter anymore, anyways. Since he ran away, Shuichi can’t return to his case, that includes the missing of Ms.Yana’s cat, who now gets the name… “M’match”? A strange name, but whatever. Shuichi would miss his detective works a lot. Besides, Hoshi seems content having the cat around, and the cat likes to be around him, too. Shuichi is not cruel enough to just ruin this relationship.

He fails to notice Hoshi keenly observing him.

…

Morning quickly arrives. The bright red Sun hovers above the horizon. Rays of light dance through the pair of curtains. 

Shuichi opens his eyes, groggily taking in his surroundings. The interior of the room is different from the one that he is familiar with. There are no stacks of files and folders on the table, no half-finished coffee mug, no man with a bright pink apron knocking at his door… The series of events of the day prior comes flooding into his mind. The feeling is bizarre, just 24 hours ago, he was just a normal inadvertent guy at school, eager to celebrate his birthday with uncle, now he’s a runaway with denial issues who lives with a bunch of strangers. 

Momota is still sprawled out on the bed wheezing heavily. For some reason, after seeing Gokuhara and Hoshi, Shuichi miraculously fell into dreamland despite his thundering snoring. 

Nevertheless, he has to admit. The scene is endearing. Shuichi can get used to this, thankfully.

Getting up, he realizes that he has no hygiene supplies, and he didn’t shower yesterday, so he kind of reeks. He’ll have to ask Kirumi to help with that, it seems.

…

Ready for a new day, Shuichi heads downstairs, where most of the members have assembled.

Chabashira, Yumeno and Iruma enter the kitchen in tracksuits, they seem to work out in the morning. Miu jokes around with being sweaty and hot while Tenko blushes at her crudeness and  _ politely  _ asks her to cut it. Himiko, as expected from his brief interaction with her, complains about having to wake up early and jog, saying she would like some more time to sleep. 

The rest of them are content with a normal morning chat, distributing their workload for the day. Akamatsu, who apparently takes the leader role, instructs each of them on the tasks available to them, from mundane cleaning, to helping Kirumi with cooking, to doing other works that help them to earn some income. 

Surprisingly, from what Shuichi gathers in the morning, despite living in a hideout, some of them have decent jobs. Of course, there’s some disguising and identity concealment here and there, and it’s mostly freelancing, but it’s jobs nonetheless. Iruma makes some funny devices and sells them online, Amami works part-time in an obscured hair salon, Shinguji updates a blog online, and Yonaga draws manga. 

Hoshi and Gokuhara went on an expedition last night, so they aren’t present in the moment. Talking about people not being present, he doesn’t see his roommate at the table. 

Then Momota shows up, looking, different from last night. Is this what he meant by “top form”?

His hair is spiky like a hedgehog. Honestly, how much gel does he use for that, a whole bottle? And why is he wearing his jacket that way?

“Wow, my new roommate is already impressed by my look!” He gives a thumb up. “Don’t worry, Shuichi, with a bit of effort, you can be just as cool as I am!”

Shuichi laughs awkwardly instead of calling him out on his assumption. He doesn’t want to appear rude just yet.

Finishing her bacon sandwich, Iruma stretches.

“I’m gonna work on my newest ingenious invention. Finally, some progress.”

She raises up from her chair. The others start to leave as well.

“I think I’ll go now. I have a shift today.”

“I suppose I’ll continue with the blog.”

“Angie goes to work diligently!”

“Nyeh, I’m gonna prepare for my next show…”

“Let Tenko help!”

“Bye bye!”

With the table almost empty, minus Momota chewing on a piece of toast, Toujo begins to pick up the plates and pieces of crumbs left behind. 

“Such juveniles, they don’t even clean after themselves.”

“Haha, that’s how they are.” Akamatsu perks. “Here, let me help you.”

The maid gently declines. “Thank you, Kaede, but that’s alright. I can manage. Plus, Kaito will come to assist later.” She gathers the dishes in a swoosh. “Besides, you should show Shuichi-san the ways around here. It’s much preferable that he can navigate the area around here.”

And with that, Kirumi leaves the two of them. Akamatsu turns to the boy beside her, giggling.

“She’s right. Sorry, I almost forgot something so important. It would be our responsibility if you wander around here and get lost. The paths are quite winding. If you’re not careful, you may really get stuck out at night. Besides,” she cracks a devious smile. “ _ who knows what lurks in the dark corners? _ ”

“Woah!”

“Haha, I’m joking. But no seriously, it would be a real pain if we have to go out and search for you. Come on, lemme show you the way!”

Dragging Shuichi along, Akamatsu bids “We’re heading out. See you at lunch!”

Looking up from his plate, Momota shouts after them. “Have fun! You two!” 

…

Saying the surrounding routes are winding is not an understatement. 

Akamatsu has led him through several turns, after each it branches a few more. The region is like a maze. When she guided him to their shelter last night, the route seemed simple, practiced. Perhaps because of the lack of lighting in the alley, Shuichi couldn’t defer just how hard it would be if he were to look for the place himself. It makes sense, though. Because their group has to live in the dark, their existence hidden away from society, a place where no one frequents and hard to survey is ideal. Coincidentally, since the vicinity is not too urbanised and populated, isolated areas like this are quite common, making it even harder to pick out. 

Eventually, the walls of barred bricks and uninhabited buildings end. 

Akamatsu pokes her head out from behind a wall, looking around to see if someone is passing by. She hops out to the street, Shuichi follows suit.

“Right, since you are probably stressed by all the things happening around, maybe a little snack will help you cheer up! All that walking is probably making you hungry, too.”

The boy is baffled by the sudden suggestion. Does that mean they are heading to a crowded street? Isn’t that quite risky? What if someone identifies them?

“Oh, I see you are anxious about getting caught. Don’t worry! As long as your face is not broadcasted all over the news, and you don’t dress too flashy, people won’t recognize you. We snoop around all the time, too! Just make sure to keep your cap on and keep an eye out and it should be safe, and tell me if you see someone you know, okay?”

She pulls him along. The more they walk, the more people show up. Just as Akamatsu said, no one pays them any mind. They just stroll across the mass, like normal people who walk for fun, not some fugitives wanted by the authority. It feels almost like he is a highschool student again, which he technically is, half a day ago, before everything turns down to shit. Heeding the advice, Shuichi takes cautious of his surroundings, though after a while, he starts to relax and just let himself integrate into the throngs of people. 

Akamatsu stops in front of a vendor, an unpretentious scribble “crepe” hung on the eaves.

“One strawberry please, she chirps.” Then she turns to him, a smile adorned her face. “What would you like?”

Shuichi doesn’t know much about crepes, he hardly eats any sugary food. His best friend is coffee and sometimes he drinks coffee for dinner(for which uncle would chide him and make him a late-night bowl of soup). However, Akamatsu seems eager to befriend him, so who is he to decline?

“The same, please.”

…

Akamatsu hands him the steamy crepe then giddily chomps down hers. Shuichi takes time to examine the piece of snack.

They have settled down under the shade of a tree, gazing upon lines of people passing by. Akamatsu notices him looking at his crepe and inspecting it like a piece of evidence. Mouth still full, she asks.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Don’t worry it’s not poisoned.”

“Ah, no. This is the first time I have this kind of snack, so I only want to take a look at it.”

His eyes are still trained on the thin cake with cream stuffed in it. For some reason, Akamatsu finds it funny.

“Haha! Jeez, just eat it already. What are you, a detective?”

“Well, actually I used to work at my uncle’s detective agency.”

The girl does not seem to have expected that answer. Her eyes widen for a moment, before it sparkles with interest.

“Wow, really? That’s so cool!” She pauses for a second. “Hey, just curious, by any chance that is your talent?”

“Haha, no. That would be nice, though” He scratches the back of his head. “I was simply an apprentice, so I worked on small cases like lost items or pets.”

“So that’s why you are looking for the cat yesterday!”

“That’s right.”

“Sorry, it’s because I pulled you along that you didn’t find it.” Shuichi decides not to make a comment on that. “But fortunately, thanks to that, you are with us now! I’m glad that you joined, Shuichi! The others may act a little wary, but I know that they are excited to have a new member, too!”

“I see. That’s quite reassuring, Akamatsu-san.”

“Haha, good to know that you’re comfortable!”, she beams, “but you know, I’ll even be more glad if you can quit the formalities!”

“Huh?”

“Like, you can call us by our first names! You can call me Kaede!”

Shuichi’s brain halts. Eh? First name basis? They have been acquainted for 12 hours! He knows the girl is trying to accommodate him and he appreciates it, but she is charging at light speed, with a sword in her hand to pierce right through his 10cm introvert armour!

“It may be a bit abrupt for you, but you’re one of us now! We are family! Besides, it’s really weird that everyone calls you by your first name while you refer to us by our surnames!”

“But that’s because I didn’t tell you my surname!”

“Exactly! So to be fair, you have to call us by our first names.” Her pupils miraculously transform into the shape of a star. “Call me Kaede!”

“...”

“...”

“A-alright… um… Kaede.”

“Louder.”

“Kaede!”

“Louder!”

“Kaede!!”

“...pfft, okay, I let you go this time.”

Kaede happily finishes the rest of her crepe.

“Oh, and you should eat it quickly. It’s getting colder.”

“Ah, right.”

Shuichi hastily bites onto the crepe in his hand, eager to finish the thing and this conversation along with it. Don’t misunderstand him. He truly enjoyed the interactions with Akamat...Keade and it makes the world slightly whole again.

But... there is something blooming in his chest that was not there before. It’s fluttering, light and warm… Shuichi yanks down his cap and chomps on the crepe faster. Years of communal avoidance is starting to take a toll on his social performance. 

“Hurgkk…”

“Hey, careful!”

Unbeknownst to them, someone snaps a picture.

…

“Hello, we’re home!”

“ _...ichi Saihara, Ultimate Actor, son of famous screenwriter Fuutarou Saihara and actress Ueko Saihara, went missing at 9pm yesterday, 23 July. He is last seen wearing a baseball cap and his school uniform. The following is Ms.Saihara’s commentary on the situation. “Shuichi is a nice kid. *sob* He’s just young and really i _ _ m _ _ p _ _ e _ _ t _ _ u _ _ o _ _ u _ _ s _ _ … _ ””

The rest is drowned out by the inquisitive looks aiming his way. Oh, goodness, everyone, except Amami, is there, staring at him, scrutinizing from head to toe. Shuichi feels like a display, stripped and skinned away to be examined. The light in the room is blinding, the shout of the director, and the cackling of the clapperboard…

“ _ And… Action! _ ”

He cannot move. His limbs are not listening to him. Even when he has learnt the script by heart, he cannot bring himself to act. Everybody on set is staring at him. His parents are staring at him. With such disappointment…!  _ ‘You hate me, don’t you? You never give a damn, don’t you?’ _

“Shuichi! Hey!”

Amethyst. Gentle and pure. Protection and safety. Do her eyes always have that color? 

“Shuichi, it’s okay. We understand if it’s difficult for you. We won’t pry, okay. We’re here. I’m here.” Kaede wraps her hands around his, soothing. “You’re safe.”

Shuichi tugs his cap down further, veiling his eyes from view, effectively blocking out every other pair of eyes. He still feels the warmth on his hand, though.

“Kaede is right. We hold nothing against you for this…  _ Shuichi _ . However, I must say that this makes the situation much more complicated than it should be.”

“Yeah, turns out Succi is related to those well-known fuckers who can tweak the media to their own benefits! Now the guy can’t go out to hook on bitches anymore!”

“Hey, watch your mouth”, Momota reprimands, “but she’s not wrong. You can’t go out to the public anymore safely anymore.”

“See, space fucker agrees with me! Now you can only stay home and mast…”

“Not that part, you dumbass! But yeah, people will recognize you.”

Toujou turns off the television. 

“I’m sorry, Shuichi. We cannot allow you to crowded spaces. But fret not, you are free to move around the area. As long as you don’t enter the streets, it would be fine.”

“Yes, thank you. But I don’t need to move around that much, anyways.” He finds his voice too small to his liking. They may not be able to hear it.

“I see. That’s good news to me. Well then, lunch is ready, everyone go set up the table.”

“Um… I ate out just now. So don’t worry. I’ll head to my room first.” He weakly announces. He’s not in the mood for eating right now. His stomach churns and threatens to spill his breakfast along with the crepe he had previously. Life really hates him that much, huh. He wonders what he has done wrong(“you’ll be surprised”, his mind helpfully supplies). Without waiting for responses, Shuichi dashes to his room and locks himself inside.

He’s exhausted and merely wants a fucking rest. Nights upon nights working on cases finally catch up to him, plus the rain bombshells dropped on him for the whole day makes his brain to just shut down and reset. 

The boy collapses on the mattress, drifting off to sleep.

…

Shuichi wakes up to someone knocking on his door.

“Shuichi, you up? It’s me. Can I come in?” It’s Momota, asking him permission to enter the room. Even though it is his own room. Did he think Shuichi is still sulking in his room and wants to respect his privacy? That is awfully nice of him. Shuichi can’t help but feel guilty. Maybe he has been selfish, immersing himself in his own weaknesses and worries others(no, Shuichi doesn’t want to stay a coward).

He lifts himself up and trudges to the door, twisting the door knob, revealing a Momota with a concerned expression. 

“Hi, man. You missed dinner. But we save you some food, so come on, let’s head downstairs.”

“Sorry, I appreciate it, but I’m not hungry right now.”

“Dude, don’t lie. No one goes through the whole day eating only breakfast and a measly crepe and not be hungry. I know you are upset about that whole not going in public thing…”

“ No, actually I’m not .”

“...but you have to keep your body healthy and nourished! Cooping in your room like a chicken is not the solution!”

“...”

“By the way, good news! We have a mission for you! So you can go out and get some fresh air!”

…

“Any question?”, Toujou inquires while she picks up the empty plate.

“Um, I don’t want to be nosy, but do we do this every night? Since Hoshi-kun and Gokuhara-kun went on the same task last night, too.”

“No, we don’t. However, Miu complains about something missing in the delivered pack and when we checked with them, they confirmed something is indeed missing and arranged another meeting tonight.”

“So I’ll have to get this delivery from this group, and I’ll have to solve puzzles along the way?”

Momota groans in the background. Toujou ignores it.

“Correct. They are quite an unique bunch. And the location of meeting changes every time as a security measure. Kaede shares with us that you might be suitable for the job, considering you used to do detective work.” She ceases for a moment as if realizing something. “Oh, my apologies if we are intruding on your personal life. We have no such intentions. Kaede also didn’t reveal anything more than that.” 

“That’s fine. It’s not something I’m ashamed of. Thank you for your reservation but you don’t have to be so cautious.” He laughs nervously.

“I’m glad. Well then, we often dispatch in pairs to ensure that help is always available should problems arise. As a result, Kaito here will accompany you on your expedition.”

“Hehe! Good to work alongside you, sidekick!”

“Sidekick…?”

“Anyways, since you’re my sidekick now, these little trickers are nothing to you. Man, those annoying bastards. They almost set my hair on fire once. Why are we working with them in the first place?”

“...what happened?” “It’s a long story.”

Shuichi decides he’s going to ignore that for the time being. 

“But how can you be sure it’s them? You said that they always have their masks on, didn’t you?”

“Well yeah! But when you see those monkeys, you’ll know right away! No normally sane persons would wear clown masks and terrorize people like those guys!”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone here watch Nicob commentary? Cuz there's this scene where Maki break in the hangar and shoot Kokichi(dedicated to the two haven't made their appearance yet).
> 
> Maki: Who's the little bitch?  
> Kokichi: Huh?  
> Maki: Who the little BITCH? SAY IT!  
> Kokichi: I-I am...  
> Maki: LOUDER!  
> Kokichi: I AM! I'M THE LITTLE BITCH! Okay? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT, MAKI? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?  
> Maki: Yes. *Slice is head off*


	4. Lurkers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet DICE! Meet Himiko!
> 
> And a mysterious figure ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me *re-read*: there's so many things wrong in this chapter  
> also me: post it anyways
> 
> \---  
> warning: contains megalovania, bad dialogues and inappropriate use of exaggeration

“And “roundabout the castle for friends”, so we should turn right about… here.” Shuichi instructs as the pair cross a pet shop.

“Wow, you’re really good at this, Shuichi! And it’s been like thirty minutes! Normally it takes a whole night!”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing much. I just read a lot of mystery novels and they have a lot of riddles like this. Guess whoever wrote this also read those novels, too.”

They walk straight for a short distance, leading to an open area that the city light hardly reaches. 

“I think we’re here.”

The place is dark, supposedly, and soundless. It’s almost midnight, people are all back in their house, nestled in the warmth of their futons. However, for those like Shuichi, this is the time they become active. Like shadow crawling in a corner, unseen by the eyes of commoners, their lives are unknown, unheard of. 

Momota heads up at the sky, pointing.

“Hey, Shuichi, look.”

He turns towards where Momota’s finger is aiming. His breath is taken away for a moment.

Dusts of light spread on the veil of a night cloth. Twinkling of stars sparkles across the horizon, pasted against the silhouette of urbanised constructions. Stellars shine like a ball room, where dancers waltz around the queen of the night, in the form of a crescent. Wavering, shining, flickering, but still shining...

“We may not be able to see the days like others, but we have the night sky covering us. Witness this awesome view, Shuichi.” He cracks a dopey grin. “It’s our sky!”

The boy can’t help but huffs a laugh. It’s true. The night sky is mesmerizing. The sight is all the more impressive to Shuichi due to his white nights focusing on his detective works, unaware of the specks hanging on the night wall. Yet, what’s more magnificent is Momota’s fascination for the universe. He hasn’t known him for long, but the other’s infatuation with space is already clear enough. The astronaut has claimed to travel to space one day. He then rambles about the intergalactic and constellations, while Shuichi listens with modest interest.

“Wow, space idiot is trying to sound poetic!”, suddenly, a voice interjects.

“S-shut up! I can be poetic if I want to! And who are you calling an idiot!”

“You, of course, silly!”, a girl with pigtails emerges from the blackness. She giggles with a tone as light as a bell. Her thin legs bounce back and forth as the girl skips towards them. She’s dressed in a white short skirt and a shirt with decorative buttons on it. A checkered bandana is tied on her bicep. Her face from nose up is hidden under a clown mask with a red dot as the nose.

“Howdy! You guys are early. Thought we would have to wait a few more hours.” Another guy follows. This one has his bang swept to the side. He also wears clothes and a mask with the same motif, except for the bandana wrapping on his forehead. “Oh, haven’t seen you around before.” He turns to Shuichi. “You must be new, huh? I take it you are the one who solved the puzzles?” 

“Yes, hello.” 

“Wow, you must be smart then” Hearts chimes in. “You know, the other guys in your group are so dumb, they always make us wait the whole night before showing up. It’s boring to death!”

“Hey, don’t go and call my friends dumb!”

“But you are! You’re all the same bunch!”

“Alright, Hearts, stop teasing him. We have business to attend to.” The guy chides lightly. “Anyways, I’m Jack and as you know, the one over there is Hearts. We are members of an organization called DICE. Nice to meet you, new guy. I must say, I’m impressed by your capability.” He extends a hand.

Shuichi stares at the hand for a while then accepts the gesture.

“Thank you, nice to meet y…”

“Pfffffffffffffffffffffff…….”

“...”

“...ffffffffffffffffffffff....”

“...”

“...ffftttttttt…”

“...”

“...”

“Ft!”

“...”

The two jesters roar in tears.

“BUah! Hahahahahaha! You see that Hearts? You these guys’ faces? They looked like Boss after he took a dump the other day!”

The girl is doubling over, trying to restain her laughter.

“Hahahaha, stop it, that one was your fault, hahaha, I can’t breathe, pfhuhu…”

And she fails miserably.

“Ahahahahaha!”

“Man, just look at your face! *gag* *choke* haha… *cough*... Sorry, we haven’t cracked up like this *cough, cough* in a while.”

“Alright. You clowns had your fun, now can you pass us the package?”, Momota's entire visage scrunches up in irritation. (Wow, there’s a blackhole on it now.)

“Aww, not even a compliment? After all the effort to make the whoopie cushion inconspicuous?” Jack sighs. “Party pooper.”

“Party pooper! Party pooper!”

“No, I’m not! You are!”

“Huh? How can I be? I’m the one who organized the party!” Heart pokes at her lips innocently. “Or is it… space idiot over here is really that much of an idiot?”

“Hey! Quit the space idiot thingy! Why can’t you guys be serious for just a second?”

“Tehee! Says the guy who can’t discern between enlivening a party and totally ruining it!”

“Sorry, no can do”, Jack smirks, “Boss would disown us if we don’t add a bit of spice to life.”

“Right, right!” The girl nods so fast her head is about to fall off. “Boss would be very disappointed.”

“Ugh..! I don’t care what your Boss wants. Just hand it over!”

“Okay, here!” Hearts hops forwards, precariously drops a duffle bag into Momota’s hand. “Here’s what his majesty requests! We even added extra supplies in it! Aren’t we just the nicest?”

“Whatever!”, he huffs, irritated, and heads towards the entrance. “We got the stuff, Shuichi. Let’s go back.”

Shuichi hurried after the other boy. Jacks stops him in his tracks by placing a hand on his shoulder. His obnoxiously loud speech reduced to mere whispers. “We know where you're from, newbie. Don’t worry, we won’t expose you or anything. Just a little warning. Someone may have spotted you in the public and disclosed your stay in the town. It may already reach the higher ups. So wherever you live, be careful, who knows if something’s following you. We wouldn’t want such valuable partnership to come to waste.” His lips curve up innocuously. “Enjoy your life lurking, Mr.Detective! We shall meet again, or maybe never.”

With that, the two DICE members vanish into the night. 

…

The trip back to the shelter is fairly peaceful, minus occasional complaints from Momota about DICE constant mirth and antics. On the way back, Shuichi takes the advice to be cautious of the surroundings, yet nothing seems out of the ordinary. They make their way back safely, without a hindrance.

Momota opens the old wooden door.

“We're back!”

“You are oddly early. Everything went smoothly?”

“Yeah”, he grins, buckles Shuichi’s head in the nook of his arm, “all thanks to my new sidekick over there! He solves the puzzles in a blink of an eye!”

Shuichi is slightly taken aback by the praise, he’s not used to receiving compliments.

“A job well-done, Shuichi. I’m glad to have you here with us. Now come inside and take a rest.”

“Okay, mommy.”

“I request you not to address me in such a manner.” Her brows furrows, yet a smile adorns her lips.

Toujou returns to whatever she was doing, leaving the two boys to themselves.

Momota pats Shuichi on the back. “Great work today, sidekick. I think we make a good team!”

“You don’t have to praise me so much, Momota-kun. It’s nothing much.” He feels his cheeks heating up.   
  


“Nah, don’t put yourself down like that. You deserve all the praise. And that’s Kaito to you, mister. We live under the same roof now. And it’s late, *yawn* let’s head to bed.”

“...”

Not waiting for a response, the Ultimate Astronaut waves a “good night” and drags himself back to his room. Shuichi still remains by the entrance, processing. 

“...good night to you too, Kaito.”

…

It’s a beautiful day outside, birds are singing, flowers are blooming…

And our little Himiko has just woken up from her deep slumber. 

She washes up, brushes her red bob head, and changes into her mage getups.

The girl gazes upon herself in the mirror, from left to right, head to toe...with a little witch hat on her head.

Perfect!

Himiko ventures downstairs to get breakfast. Mother Kurimi has prepared her a full, succulent meal. Steamy bacon with ham and cheese, a piece of scrambled egg embellished with tint green lettuce. She bids a thanks, to which mother Kirumi returns with a smile. It is a peaceful feast in the morning, until…

“Himiko!”

The door swings open, creaking against the rusted hinges, anymore force than that and it would go flying into the house. There stands Tenko, still huffy and puffy from her morning run. With the energy of a three-year-old, Tenko runs to where the mage is sitting, throwing her arms over her neck.

“Himiko! Himiko! I’m so excited for the show today! Hnnnnk! You’re even in your costume already! You look so cuteeeeeee!”

Irritated, the mage tries to untangle the lock of arms holding her in an embrace, yet the chokehold comes right back in, at full force.

“You’re loud, I can’t concentrate on charging my MP. And this is not a costume, it’s my Mystical Sorceress' Garmentum.”

With a gasp, Tenko releases the small Mage immediately, falls on her knees, and apologizes rapidly.

“Tenko sorry for my mistake, Great Mage Himiko! Tenko has no intention of undermining Himiko’s prowess! Please forgive Tenko’s imprudence!”

That was again, loud, and everyone in the room is staring. Gonta is desperately pleading to forgive Tenko while Ryoma shushes him. Miu is cackling about something related to bondage and Kaede whacks her on the head. Angie shouts about Kamii-sama would uphold such reverence. Rantarou and Kirumi look amused. And Himiko is both annoyed and guilty at the same time. She didn’t mean the grumbles to be harsh at all that the girl before her has to apologize like she committed a federal crime. Yet here Tenko is, kneeling like a convict waiting behind a guillotine. And all Himiko wants is a normal fulfilling breakfast to get ready for the show. 

_ The balloon popped again. Another failed attempt. She bowed ruefully to Master, as many others had instructed her to. Unexpectedly, a warm hand ruffled her short hair. _

_ “It’s okay, Himiko. Let’s try again.” _

“It’s okay, Tenko. I’m not mad.”

The girl looks up from the floor, eyes wide. She jumps right off to her feet, pulling the Mage into another embrace, cheering.

“Kyaa! Himiko-sama is so kind!! Thank you, Himiko-sama!!”

“Nyeh… so loud. Just hurry up and get changed.”

“Yes!”

…

Rantarou clips the final strips of polystyrene hair on Himiko’s head, effectively hiding her natural red strands. 

Tenko hops out of the bathroom, cladded in her bright neon green long shirt, ornamented with back fringes and golden threads. She’s also wearing multi-colored flared trousers and a bell jester crown jiggling on her head.

The girl twirls in a flourish and beams.

“Look at me, Himiko! I’m all prepared!” She grins toothily and makes a V-sign.

The mage can’t help but get infected with some of the enthusiasm her partner is radiating. Tenko is a handful to deal with, but her cheering about Himiko’s magic and getting all fired up by the upcoming ‘whimsical performance’ is simply making the smaller's day. Still, the mage can’t afford to waste too much of her mana just yet, so she only smiles lazily.

“Okay, now you’re in your getups, let’s do your hair.”

Tenko’s vigour abates slightly, though still very much apparent. She glances between Himiko’s now vibrant head and Rantarou, who she deems a ‘tolerable degenerate, but a degenerate regardless’. Her forehead creases in disgust and she says sheepishly.

“Is this compulsory, Himiko? I mean, don’t get me wrong, but what if this degenerate messes up the aesthetic of your brilliant design on this attire?”

Himiko has to smack her face internally.

“He did my hair, so I think it would be fine. Besides, are you implying I don’t look cute in this hairstyle?”

“Oh! No, No!”,Tenko fumbles, “Himiko looks cute in everything!” She mutters. “Even if it’s from a degenerate male.”

“Well, so stop complaining and sit down. We wouldn’t want anyone to recognize you on the street.”

Much to her relief, the Akidos Master begrudgingly settles down beside her, allowing Rantarou to run his fingers through her hair. She hisses slightly at him, to which the boy chuckles nervously. His long fingers daintily working on her hair into an elaborated braid. He muses about Tenko behaving like a stubborn little sister while the latter fumes angrily but does not retaliate. Himiko observes the whole quarrel unfolds. 

“You degenerate better have treated your sisters rightfully!”, she pouts.

The boy pauses for a fraction of a second. He quickly regains the fluid motion in weaving the braids.

“Sure did! I always wish for the best for my sisters!” He chirps nonchalantly. However, the Mage detects a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

“Tenko will overlook your actions this time, degenerate!”, she smirks, seemingly satisfied. “Keep that up, and Tenko won’t flip you.”

“Haha, thank you, milady!”, he feigns a relieving sigh, “Now head up, we’ll move onto your make-up!”

“Don’t you think I’ll let you touch my face!”

…

The Mage casts ‘Stealth’ on both of them, which is a fancy way to describe wearing oversized hoodies, skirts and lugging bulky backpacks and tiptoeing out of the obscured valley they live in, under the chilly breeze of autumn. They move to the more crowded areas, and settle down onto their would-be stage.

Himiko and Tenko place their stage setups in the middle of the square. The former makes a cursory scan over the crowd in front of her. Curious eyes pass their way. Inquisitive pedestrians stop by to survey the two mysterious performers dressed in peculiar costumes. 

Himiko takes a step forward, sceptre in hand and inhales deeply. Her heart beats at a slightly faster rhythm. A few drops of sweat slick in her hand. Her breaths come a bit tad uneven. But her eyes harden with resolve.

_ It’s showtime.  _

The Whimsical Mage and her apprentice enters the spotlight. 

…

_ “Now, Himiko, watch this carefully.” _

_ Master said as he held a flat balloon in his hand. In a practiced swirl of his other hand, the white balloon expands, blooming its myriad of colors.  _

_ “The tip is that you have to channel just enough energy into it, so that it can be nurtured into a perfect, fully matured balloon.” It grew into a full-blown balloon. _

_ Himiko stared at the empty, pristine white piece of rubber in her hand(magical rubber, Master told her). She focused on it and pumped it with ‘magic’ with all her might. The piece in her hand developed rapidly and “POP”. Rainbow ‘fairy dust’ exploded and coated her face.  _

_ “No, no, my little Mage. You cannot simply expect one to grow by force. You have to care for it, caress it gently.” He put her hand on top of another half-inflated ball of ‘magic’. “Can you feel it? The change in its surface. Imagine the happiness of the balloon, Himiko. When it’s happy, the rubber will be firm and solid, you can tap on it with no problems at all.” Himiko hit the thing gently. Master forced a little more magic into it. “But when it’s not, it becomes flimsy and elastic, and finally…” The ball burst open, releasing dust all over the floor. _

_ “Think of it as a proxy of happiness, Himiko. An excellent mage always knows when it’s enough to bring satisfaction to their audiences.” _

In a practiced motion, the Mage brandished multiple perfectly blown balloons in her hand, color swirling inside the transparent rubber. The things hover in the air before popping into a gratifying bundle of colors.

Spectators cheer at the enchanting performances. Their faces brighten with delight. “Ooh”s and “Aww”s reverberate in the mass. 

Himiko moves onto her next performance.

…

_ “Ladies and Gentlemen, and here is the item we have all been waiting for. Give the loudest claps you can, because here comes, drums roll please! The Ultimate Magician, Yumeno Himiko!” _

_ The audiences laughed and cheered, as Himiko, in her standard magician attire, under the blinding spotlight, appeared on stage. She bowed in a standard manner and performed standard magic tricks. ‘This is not magic’, she thought. The manager prohibited her from showing the audiences the ‘sorceries’ Master and her had worked hard together to invent, saying they are “inelegant” and “are not luxurious enough for his wealthy customers”. What nonsense he was spouting.  _

_ Ever since she took Master’s place in the crew, more the richies showed up, shooing away the mediocre and genuine audiences who were honestly interested in the wonders and whims a magic show could offer. Children were no longer swinging their legs, eyes sparkled at the mystics presented to them. Only selfish adults who held no appreciation for arts and attended solely for the purpose of showing off their status.  _

_ As Himiko peered up from under her satin hat, all she saw was fake, plastered smiles that had no warmth.  _

_ These shows went against what Master had stood for, against the pure enjoyment and happiness a magician/mage (doesn’t matter) supposed to gift and grant. _

_ This prison of creation, is it the price of being known and entitled? _

…

_ Being well-known didn’t do Himiko any favours, instead, it deprived her of friendship and understanding. It deprived everyone in the crew from friendship and understanding.  _

_ The people whom she grew to respect had turned cold, calculative, oblivious to another’s pain.  _

_ They cared about getting more screen time on stage and thus more payings from the manager. They burnt in jealousy when someone gained the upper hand on them. _

_ A girl got her entire outfit ripped off on her behind stage. Someone also orchestrated her fall while performing acrobatics. Medics said she would never walk again.  _

_ Himiko was lucky because her downfall would also be that of the whole crew.  _

The Mage spares a quick glance at her co-performer. The girl is balancing on a funnily colored ball, smiling joyously. She scoops up the little Mage and carries her on the back, while still bouncing on the piece of instrument.

...

Tenko somersaults from one board to another, retaining her balance. She spins in mid-air, her long hair flies along with her silky movement and lands on the ground soft as a cat. 

A collection of confetti and multi-colored paper shot in the air before falling flat on the concrete, signalling the finale of the show. 

_ “Himiko”, his hand reached out, caressing her red hair. He breathed his last words. “Every show must come to an end, but ultimately, they always have a meaning.” _

As the music ceases, hundred of hand-claps erupt at the same time. There are yells and howls in the midst of the crowd, rewarding the magnificent magical performers. 

Himiko’s lips curve up under the layer of make-up, contented with the result, allowing herself to drown in the glee of the audiences. 

_ “Us performers do not put emphasis on fame or money, just the fun of doing something we love and brings joy to others.” _

Soon enough, the crowd disperses, leaving the two unknown girls to clean up their props. It is a fameless life for street performers. 

_ “This is my final gift to you, Himiko. Go and live your life freely. All I ask of you is to grow the seed of happiness in your audiences… and in yourself.” _

They put on the gray, unimportant hoodies, concealing themselves from the world.

_ “Good bye, my little Mage.” _

She turns to Tenko, who now has a goofy grin on her face. “This one is a huge success, Himiko!” The Aikido Master springs on her and locks her in arms. Two lurkers who live in an oblivious dark corner, their names are unheard of.

Himiko zips the backpack securely, making sure nothing is left behind. Her eyes linger on the spot where they have been the center of attention, hearing the roaring cheers and praises.

“Himiko?”, Tenko calls out for her, “Let’s go, the rest may be waiting.”

The girl tears her gaze away, heading to Tenko’s direction. “Yeah, comin’.”

The other girl hypedly chats about the next performance, while the Mage nods along.

_ ‘Thank you, and goodbye to you too, Master.’ _

…

From a dark corner, a pair of dark red irises follow every motions on the street.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing spicy yet... but soon.
> 
> (maybe)


	5. Disruption of Normalcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a small hiccup happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes. Finally, a bit progress.

Another day locked up in the shelter for Shuichi, not that he is complaining. It has been about two weeks since he first joined the flock. During that time, not much happened, save for the very domestic life the group share. Things have turned to normalcy and Shuichi would be lying if he says he doesn’t enjoy mingling with this cluster of misfits. 

The boy trudges downstairs, greeted with unholy screeches from his housemates.

“What do you mean you can’t find it? Surely it has to be in the house somewhere!” Kaito shouts.

“No! I told you that I HAD it with me since I got out of the house! And it’s fucking GONE!!”

“How in the fuck did you lose it?”   
  


“F-fuck if I know!”

Shuichi comes just in time to see Miu squirming in the middle of the room, recoiling from others’ (admonishing and dare he says, a little condescending) gazes. She is also making weird noises and mewls.

“Um… what’s going on?”

“Ah, Shuichi! Good morning!”, Kaede greets him. “Miu just got into a little… problem.” She eyes the girl on the floor. “Nothing’s worrying.”

“You better take that back, Kaediot! It’s my beautiful body in danger here! This is no trivial matter!”

“Hey, it’s your own careless mistake that you lost it in the first place!”

The girl in pink bursts in tears at the accusation, babbling. “Fucking meanie! I trusted you! You’re just like the midget over there! Oblivious to my misery!”

“Hey, don’t pull me in.”

“Oh my, but to lose something like that on a whim…”

“No! Not you too, mom!”

Gonta turns beet red on the other side of the table. Korekiyo pats on his shoulder in condolence.

Tenko, seemingly fed up with the antics, massages the crease between her eyebrows and props the girl up against herself. “Miu can go back to her room, Tenko can go and search… it for her.”

With clear red streaks on her cheeks, the tall girl stomps out of the house to look for whatever Miu lost. Kaede shakes her head in disappointment. After a collective sigh, the rest turn back to their unfinished plates. 

What did Miu lose, anyways, others seem reluctant to talk about it, so Shuichi figures it best not to pry. 

Miu is now red like a tomato, which is rare since the girl is often shamelessly unabashed by vulgarities and crude jokes about… her personal fantasy. Whatever happened must have taken a blow on her. Miu quietly hoists up and scrambles back to her room.

“Grr…, you fucking bullies”, she squeaks , “I’ll get back to work. Hope you virgins step on a lego.”

The kitchen is left in ample silence. For a few seconds, no one utters a word. Then,...

“Pffttt…. Hahahaha!”

“You see that, right?”, Kaito pulls at Ryoma’s sleeve beside him, who can’t help but tug the corner of his lips.

“I must admit, that reaction is quite unexpected of her. It is beautiful how a person can preserve so many dimensions of themselves.”

“Does that mean Miu can like bugs, too?”

“Perhaps, Gonta, perhaps.”

Himiko is also snickering into her hands. Wiping the tears at the eyes, the magician inhales deeply to control the laughter. She says. “Alright, I’ll go check on her. Haha, what a pain.”

With that, she leaves the table. Breakfast proceeds per usual and soon enough, people move on to whatever they have for the day. 

Shuichi, being the more tardy one, finishes his portion by the time everyone else has left. When Kirumi comes to retrieve his plate, he mutters, “Thank you, Toujou-san.”

“You are welcomed, it’s my honor to look after all of you. Although I would be even more honoured if you address me as everyone here does.”

“So, umm… Mommy?”

“If you think it’s funny, I’ll shove you in the same room as Miu for the rest of the day.”

“Ah, no, please, sorry, Kirumi.”

Kirumi hums agreeably. Shuichi has actually referred to her by her first name several times before. Those were deliberate attempts, so sometimes he still slips and calls her, or someone else in the household, by their last name, followed by an honorific. To this, some people would laugh light-heartedly and ask Shuichi not to be so formal, some would refute a bit aggressively and go on a rant about how they are all family and surnames are a big ‘no, no’, one other would cringe and whimper “that makes me sound like an old hag” and “I don’t know that’s your kink”, who that is should be obvious enough. Those are little reassurance in his sticky situation.

Still, he can’t help but feel a little disoriented.

The boy idly settles down on the sofa in the living room, turning on the television. With days after days locked in the interior of the house, there’s little for him to do. Sure, he can go check on what the others are doing, but since they have just started on their works, it would be a nuisance to interrupt them so prematurely. So Shuichi is content to just chill in front of the box for the rest of the morning, and maybe he’ll visit Kaede in the afternoon(like he would do daily).

However, while browsing through the channels, someone tiptoes behind him, attempting to slip by unnoticed. Shuichi turns his head around and realizes it’s Kaito. From what Shuichi has been told, Kaito doesn’t exactly have an occupation, but he tends to wander outside a lot, so it’s weird that he would try to sneak away despite everyone else already knowing about his routine, especially lately.

Kaito flexes a toothy smile, as if he is embarrassed about something. The ex-detective squints at the guy, noticing the catchy gilet, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbow, skinny jeans and, most astoundingly, proper shoes. Shuichi may not have been here for long, but he’s too well aware of the fact that Momota Kaito is engaged with his pair of star-streaked slippers. The man narrated a whole 20 pages long story about how he got his first love, those squeaky footwears, on one night of their ‘bromance’ talk. He lives, eats and sleeps with them. And what on earth is the occasion that leads to this tearful divorce?

“Oh, hi, uh… Shuichi.”, Kaito replies, sheepish, “I’m just gonna go get some fresh air, and as you can’t go out anyways, I’ll get your share, too!”

Shuichi’s eyes narrow, skeptical. Kaito is certainly acting odd. He seems nervous, too and dresses up so carefully… Well, whatever it is, Shuichi is not too concerned. He is confident Kaito is a big guy and he can keep himself out of trouble. 

“I see, have a nice day, then.”

“Ye-yeah! Nice day to you too, man. Bye bye.”

And with that, he exits. Shuichi returns to the TV screen. Nothing much worth mentioning, some lame TV shows and documentaries on the creation of Ultimates. Lies, lies, and lies,... all the things that can catch the mass’ attention to gain some quick bucks, nothing substantial to the actual affairs happening around the world. He switches to the news channel. The crime rate in the area has risen in recent weeks, a few girls go missing, suspicious figures appear in the area. The world is getting more dangerous these days, the others ought to be more cautious when they leave the shelter, but the others are probably well conscious about this fact, anyways. They always have to look out for potential threats. At least Shuichi knows what’s going on outside while he is in the period of self-quarantine(from all the dirt and globs on the other side of the door).

Again, the door flies open, with too much force than necessary, revealing a reddened Tenko huddling a bundle in her arms. The search must have been a success then. She skims through the living room, not bother to spare Shuichi a glance, and heads directly to Miu’s room. 

Not paying much thought, the boy turns back to the TV, letting it’s noise drown the distant cries from the Inventor. As much as Shuichi is curious about what happened, he also has enough self-reservation not to be privy. Most of the time, incidents involving Miu would result in another blackhole of existential crisis and doubting whether the world surrounding is even real opened in the boy’s already pulverized brain. Don’t get him wrong, he undeniably holds some respects and adoration for the Ultimate Inventor, for her (occasional) intelligence and acceptance towards him. But Miu, oh Miu, you just can’t run away from the truth.

The boy jumps out of his thought as the sofa cushion bounces under him. Tenko has taken a seat on the other end of the sofa, arms and legs crossed and looks like she has given up on everything. He eyes her questionably and she stares back.

“What? Can’t I just take a seat in the house I live in?”

“Oh, no, no, there’s nothing wrong with it at all.”

There’s definitely something wrong with it. Tenko publicly announces her hatred for man, and would stay away in the radius of 10m from them, if she’s not grabbing them by the collar nor tossing them through the windows, which was a real event when Korekiyo accidentally spilled his tea on her shirt. Poor guy had to drag himself back into the house. And here is the proclaimed man-hater, plopping next to him like he is not one of the creatures she shuns with every fibre of her being.

‘Is she planning something? Or did he do something wrong?’ Oh no, he really wishes that the girl next to him would not be against him staying with their group. Most of the members have already expressed their welcome for Shuichi’s presence, except Tenko who has yet to voiced that out. Though she did allow him to use her first name “if Himiko-sama insists then I’ll let you use it”, but that was most likely out of obligation from Himiko.

“Jee, stop it, you degenerate, aren’t you watching your news program or whatever! Stop creeping me out!”

“Ah, sorry.”

He turns back to the television once more. The boy wills himself to concentrate on the screen, but it’s a trying battle. His hair raises up because of, oh wow, Tenko’s intense gaze digging into his skin. Despite not facing her way, Shuichi can make out “tch”s and grunts from the girl.

This is so awkward. What does she want from him?

“Um… Tenko…-san?”

“Eek! GO back to feeding your TV addiction, you degenerate! Don’t you dare send a sultry glance in Tenko’s way or she’ll deck you!”

“A-alright.”

A moment passes. Another moment passes. An hour has passed…

…

‘Oh goodness, why is she still staring?’

The news has long ended and still the staring perpetuates! She wants to ditch him, doesn’t she? She obviously wants to ditch him! Oh, Uncle, Uncle back home helps him! All he wants is safety and even in the place he thought was most secured he would be thrown out for beasts to gnash on! Ahh, her eyes are bulging. They look like they are about to burst out of her socket. What’s up with that angry scowl? And that condescending lip purse, too!

“Um, Tenko-san?”, he tried again.

“HSSSSSss!”

‘Why?!’

Utterly lost of what to do, the boy defeatedly resigns to the deadly glare and focuses on whatever is airing on screen. If Tenko is so persistent in watching him, he guesses there’s no stopping her. Maybe he should not be bothered and just carry on what’s at hand. Suddenly, a slight pressure nudges on his leg.

“Meow.”

Shuichi looks down at his feet. M’match, the cat, is rubbing its fur against his leg, purring. It then proceeds to hop up on his thighs and reel against itself as if it owns the place. Ryoma is probably busy with something, considering he is not tending to the cat. Normally, the little fella would be smitten with him, yet for some reason, it’s not right now. 

Shuichi inquisitively picks up the cat’s paw and gently pushes into its paddling. He nearly blushes at how soft it is. Surprisingly, the feline purrs against the touch and its tail is even twitching subtly. Ahh, no wonder Ryoma loves cats that much. This is heavenly.

Shuichi notices that Tenko’s gaze is no longer burning into him. As he turns to see her, he is met with glinting sparks in Tenko’s green eyes. They are glued to the bundle of fur sitting in his lap. 

“Do you, uh, want to hold her?”

Her gaze snaps back at him. There is something unreadable in the way her irises bore directly into his. Yet, they no longer hold scrutiny nor distaste, so Shuichi takes it as a positive response. 

Gently, he nuzzles the cat a little more before lifting it up and placing it on Tenko’s lap. The girl, unexpectedly, does not whack him in the face for temporarily closing up the distance between them. Instead, she even holds onto it momentarily before starting to fiddle with the soft striped fur. 

“Ehehe…”, the girl catches herself in a daze.

M’match strains her neck backwards, allowing more access for Tenko’s inquisitive fingers. She straightens her spine, paws extended outwards and settles to a more comfortable position. Tenko rakes the fur up and down, reveling in thin and warm strands brushing against her finger tips. 

Shuichi watches the scene unfold with utmost interest. Seeing the chance for ice-breaking, he attempts to strike a conversation.

“Tenko-san, you like cats, too?”

“Of course! Cats are so nice and fluffy and cute, just like girls! Hmph! Unlike you degenerates!”

Right, typical Tenko. She always has to make her aversion to men pronounced. Sometimes, it is so repetitive that Shuichi has the feeling the Aikido Master is only saying it for the sake of saying it, with no actual malice behind the words, even though her actions would prove otherwise. 

The girl is now entirely engrossed with the cat, and shows no sign of wanting to continue with the conversation, which only lasted for 2 seconds, by the way, but is still progress nonetheless. Shuich lets her be and carries on with catching whatever is aired on television. They stay that way for a while, it’s an endearing silence minus the talking from the speakers.

“You seem down lately.”

The boy in question blinks, caught off guard by the sudden voice. Tenko, eyes still trained on the cat, says.

“Master told me that cats are very sensitive to humans’ emotions. When they sense that their owners are in discomfort, they will come to consolidate them.” She lifts up M’match by its front legs, letting it knead gently on her chest. “She must have known you are troubled somehow, that’s why she approached you.”

Shuichi paused to ponder. Is he troubled lately? The answer is: yes, obviously. Who wouldn’t when your life is out of nowhere thrown upside down. He was forced away against his will. He doesn’t know how his uncle is doing and is stuck with a group of strangers that he is slowly growing attached to.

“Well, you were staring at me pretty intensely.”

“Shut up, degenerate! Tenko has to keep an eye on every nasty boy in this house to keep the girls safe. Who knows what you perverts are up to!” She trails off. “And you know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Shuichi’s mouth presses into a thin line, stunned by the upheaval development.

“Stop looking at me like that, Tenko doesn’t like boys, but she cares for everyone in the group, yes, even if they are nasty boys.” She inspects him in query. “So…?”

“Nothing much, really. I’m just taking time to adjust to living here, that’s all.”

The girl squints slightly, still she hums in acknowledgement. They return to the comfortable silence. The sound of television again engulfs the ambience, accompanied by clattering of utensils from the kitchen. Kirumi is probably making lunch for their bunch, which means a few hours have passed and noon is approaching. Shuichi is content with both of them simply chilling in the living room, oblivious to anything that may come in their way and enjoy the moment. Still, same with Tenko, he also has questions for her and he finds no other time would be more suitable to address them.

“Say, Tenko-san, pardon me if this offends you”, he breaks the sentence to put emphasis on the first verse, “but why do you hate men so much?”

“I respect your privacy and this is what I get? Typical degenerate behaviour.” She tsks.

“S-sorry.”

“You better be!”, she spits, face fumming with indignance. M’match jumps off her lap, strolling in the kitchen direction. Tenko folds her arms in front of her chest, nostrils flaring, chin tugged outwards defensively. Yet, she doesn’t sound as angry, not as much as she wants anyways. 

“Tenko won’t say much, but she’ll let Shuichi know that she has her reasons.”

“I see…”. It’s not much, however, it was better than being tossed through the ceiling, so Shuichi counts it as a win. 

“Hmph! You degenerates are so insensitive. You hold no consideration for a maiden’s fragile heart. That’s why…”

_ “... ichi Saihara has yet to be found. Enforcers are doing their best to locate his whereabouts.”  _ Whatever Tenko is ranting on is immediately muffled out at the mention of his name on the newscast. Shuichi finds himself locking eyes with the virtual image of the news anchor. The friendly warmth enveloping his chest now gone, replaced with a cold, hard fear pricking inside his ribcage. The taste of bile rises up in his throat. His eyes are still pleading at the unknowing woman on the other side of the camera, as if if he pleads her long enough, she would show some mercy and cease the airing.

_ “...Special units have been sent to assist in the search…”  _ They are still looking for him.

_ “...The state is confident that with specialized assistance, his general location has been discovered…”  _ They are making progress. 

_ “...A witness stated that they had spotted him in the XX district…”  _ They might be even at their doorstep now!

His mother’s voice sings through the speakers. Joyously fake and dripping with glee. 

_ “Shuichi, hang in there, my son, we are coming for you!” _

*Switch*

Tenko outstretches her arm, the remote in hand. The television flickers to some innocent-looking cartoon characters chasing across the screen.

“And as I was saying, degenerates like you should know their place and pay more appreciation.”

Shuichi’s gaze darts to the cartoon playing on TV, then to Tenko, then to the TV, then to Tenko.

“Geez, quit it! You’re creeping me out!”, she slaps his face out of her way. “I changed my mind, you’re just as bad as the other boys.”

Shuichi recovers from his temporary dissonance. His brain finally generates some electrical jolts to bring his mind back to functioning and process the environment around and what’s happening. Tenko has just saved him from another breakdown, whether it was intentional or not. His chest swells with relief and the boy releases a clump of breath he doesn’t realize he was holding.

“Thank you, Tenko.”

“Hmm? What for? For slapping your ungrateful buttcheek back to reality?”

They laugh it off. There is nothing funny about that statement, yet they still laugh anyways. It’s nice, even with their ass on the line, they still have these little moments to distract themselves from the harsh reality that befalls them hothead teenagers. 

For the second time of the day, someone punches the door open, with too much force. The thing slams against the wall, and bounces off a few times. For goodness, nate, that poor thing would disintegrate into wood chips at this rate. 

“Hey! Dumbass, stop banging the door or it will come off!” says the person who bangs the door every time she makes her grand entrance.

Kaito turns to face her, face red and smoke out of his ears. He grimaces as if wanting to shoot back, but unable to do so. The scene is oddly familiar.

Tenko is dumbfounded. One of her eyes creases up in confusion and mild shock. “What the…?”

“N-no. Nothing.” He manages and rushes back to the room. Again, the scene is oddly familiar.

“I know that face.” She scrunches her nose. Tenko's 'degenerate detector' is working at full capacity. “That degenerate better not harassing any unknowing girl out there.”

…

A constituent of Shuichi normalcy these days is visiting Kaede while she is practicing the piano. It’s a discreet gesture, simply because he doesn’t want to disturb her in the middle of a practice. Hence, he would just wait outside the entrance of her room like a scarecrow, admire the music from afar. Today is no exception.

As expected, Kaede is in her room, playing the piano they somehow fit into the tight space.

The notes she plays flies harmoniously, a silky melody flows like soft river water on a calm autumn afternoon.

Then all of sudden, the storm claims the throne, throwing away the peace and tranquility. Arcs and notes fling in the wake of a warcry. 

Kaede’s back arches, as her arms curve and square like a stringent bow, ready to catapult the deathly arrow onto the battlefield. Merciless, vicious and feral. Her fingers dance on the piano keys, each press resembles a mighty deity reigning punishment on earth.

The piece reaches its crescendo and all hell breaks loose. Before Shuichi’s eyes is the aftermath of a brutal confrontation, carcasses scattered on the red ground. The last few notes sing, as if mourning the loss of the martyrs.

The pianist inhales a deep breath, then she releases the log in her lungs. She turns to the door, where Shuichi is standing, breath-taken.

She smiles graciously and gestures him to move closer. He complies.

“Wow, Kaede, that was…”

“Haha, so you were listening. I mean, I know you have been there for a while, and a few times before, too. Hope you enjoy this personalised piece!”

“It’s personalised?”

“Yeah, it’s called Clair de Lune, one of my favourites. But normally, Clair de Lune is way softer and more gentle.”

She plays a few notes. It is undeniably the same melody, but has a more serene quality to it.

“I love it’s soothing sound. But whenever I’m the one who plays it, no matter how much I try to play the notes a little slower and more peacefully, in the end I always get carried away.” Undeliberatly, she smiles sadly to herself. “I want to replicate the serenity of the piece, but in the end, my construe always gets the better of me.”

Shuichi blinks. Kaede once confides that the soul of a performer is also the soul of their performance. Their feelings are displayed in the art they produce. Which is why past so-called masterpieces have been so impactful, stirring the hearts of their audiences even years later. People can empathise with it, as if they are living the moment the creators dwelled in. He wonders if this has to do with anything. Before he can raise any queries, the girl quickly dismisses it and changes the subject. “Anyways, do you like piano, Shuichi?”

“Eh? I think playing an instrument is cool, and I would like to imagine myself playing one, too. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have the talent to do so.”

“Now, now, don’t put yourself down like that! Everyone can play an instrument if they want to! Just a little practice and you’ll be a pro in no time!”

“Honestly, I doubt that.”

“Hehe, well, since you’re here why don’t we try a simple piece? I have the score right here! Der Flohwalzer would be easy enough.”

She places his right hand on the piano.

“Let’s start with your right hand movement first!”, she chirps.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to.”

“I don’t take no as an answer, mister.” She frowns “or maybe you’re not interested? Is that it? In that case, you can just leave… I’m just excited to finally have someone who shares the appreciation for music like I do. The others are so oblivious… *hic* I’m sorry, Shuichi, I didn’t mean to upset you…”

It strikes him like a light bolt.

“Agh! No, no! That’s wrong!” He presses down a few notes to testify. “See! I’m totally interested!” 

Kaede brightens immediately, almost too immediately. “Okay! Then let’s start!”

Shuichi heaves a sigh. The piano keys aren’t the only thing being played here.

...

Around 10pm, Kirumi calls Shuichi and Rantarou in. The mission is simple, collect another commission from DICE and return as soon as possible.

Shuichi’s mind wanders back to Jack’s words the other day  _ “be careful, who knows if something’s following you” _ and contemplate refusing the request. However, if he is to go, the expedition would go so much smoother, Kirumi has assured him. Besides, any movement would be covered by the darkness of the night, so as long as he’s discreet, he should be good.

So as a stupid reckless detective he is, he heads out. 

As expected, the trip to the meeting goes without a hitch. Rantarou is really experienced with puzzle-solving, too. He even figures out a few phrases before Shuichi and quickly navigates his way to the ‘checkpoints’ given. Rantarou must be very familiar with the layout of this town, which makes sense, since he is the one ventures outside most amongst their group. Still, something in the back of Shuichi’s mind tells him that’s not all there is to it. His brain tries to piece the pieces together to look at the bigger picture. 

That’s right, he never knows what Rantarou’s Ultimate talent is. During their first interactions, everyone had introduced themselves, coupled with the Ultimate title assigned to them. And when it comes to Rantarou, the guy swept it right under the rug, omitting an important detail that Shuichi wasn’t in the sharpest state of mind to realize. Not that Shuichi is too hung up on it. He would like to think that a person is not defined by their talents, especially ones that are implanted into them without their input. Still, the ex-detective can’t help but be curious. Rantarou must have a talent, right? Even if their group doesn’t like to discriminate between non-Ultimates and Ultimates, in the end only Ultimates are accepted in, so Rantarou definitely is one.

Should Shuichi confront him about it, like not aggressive confrontation but just a normal, family-friendly pep talk? But Rantarou has probably left it out on purpose, so he must have a reason for it, prying is no good and the other guy has respected his privacy since day one, since hour one to be accurate. But Shuichi is curious and Rantarou is a chill guy so he won’t be mad right? But respect privacy! But curiosity! But privacy!

“Ah! We’re here!”

The green hair boy chirps, cutting the Shuichi’s inner argument short. Rantarou smiles at him sweetly and points to the small space between two desolated buildings. The two scurry in. DICE really knows how to choose obscured places, huh? From countless encounters with them before, as told by Kirumi, they rarely pick up the same place twice, and given that they meet up about three or four times a month, that’s a significant number of unseen spots in this town. The town is not exactly the most populated, but Shuichi can’t help but be surprised at the amount of possible secret activities taking place, or that the clowns are just that good at hide and seek.

“Hello! Any OP superhuman being in there?”, rang a familiar voice. 

Just as expected, the two ghostly outlines appear at the end of the alley, bouncing off the ground merrily. This time, it’s Jack and another guy that Shuichi has first seen. Big and bulky, though not as much as Gonta, but definitely big enough to squeeze Shuichi’s tiny ass into juice with no issues. The guy also wears a big afro wig, a clown mask and checkered bandana on his left wrist, from what Shuichi can barely gather from the lack of light in the alley. Ohh, he sees a pattern here. Kaito was right, you can recognize them miles away. 

Rantarou extends a hand, waiting for the clowns to hand in something. Afro guy drops a small packet into his palm. Rantarou keeps his hand raised, still waiting.

“What? That’s it, that’s all you guys asked.”, the man says, baffled.

Rantarou squints at the small packet in his hand, in suspicion, or at least Shuichi imagines he does so.

“No, that’s not all. Normally, you guys would pull some stunts first before actually handing the item.”

“Too bad, man. Not in the mood today.”

At the confession, the boy pokes at the packet, before opening it to observe the content. Seemingly satisfied with the confirmation, he puts the thing in his front pocket.

“Well, thank you for your delivery. We’ll be on our way now.”

“No, no, hold on a second. We’ll give you some advice, check the content of that pack carefully when you guys use it. Better ASAP. And more importantly” Jack interrupts, the cheekiness in his tone dropped. “You.” He points at Shuichi. “Didn’t I tell you to watch your back. What are you doing here?”

The boy in question, alarmed by the sudden change in atmosphere, stutters. “Well, I thought that if I go, it would be much quicker and both sides wouldn’t have to waste so much energy. Plus, the shorter the time spent outside, the safer.”

Jack’s expression cannot be seen because of the clown mask and the lack of light, but his agitated body movement can be seen. 

“Hey, hey, I don’t quite catch what’s happening here…”

“You idiot, you don’t know what you’re meddling with!”

His palms pressed into Shuichi’s shoulder, fingers dug against his blades for emphasis. His voice is somehow dark, foreboding with a little grunts in it. 

“We gave you one advise! Just one! It's not that hard to do,  _ right? _ ". Jack breathes heavily, trying to contend the anger behind it. " _ Listen.  _ If you value your life, do not step outside again. I  _ mean _ it.  _ She’s _ already in this town.”

“She…? Who is she-”

Too much happens in a split of second. Shuichi is only able to catch a brief fluttering sound, followed by a piercing ‘swoosh’ as Jack pushes him out of the way of something crashing right where he just stood. Wind and dust brush pass his cheeks at the sheer viciousness of the force. The shadow lunges at him, claws merely a centimeter from his face before the white jester jumps on it with his entire body. 

Jack is no mean small in physique, yet he struggles tremendously trying to clamp the much more petite figure beneath him. Loud ‘thwack’s and ‘smack’s can be heard as the figure jams their elbow into his body.

“Ghh! Dammit! ACE, A LITTLE HELP HERE!!”

Afro hastily dashes to his side, holding the figure’s forearm and pins it down, yet despite his hefty muscles, it’s still not enough to restrain the shadow, on the contrary, it seems like they are losing. Just what is that monstrous strength?

While Shuichi is frozen trying to process the sight before him, Rantarou has recovered from the initial shock, pulling the other boy from the scene.

The figure grows even more ferocious. Yanking a hand from Ace’s grasp, they reaches for the knife glimmering ominously by the thigh. In a rush of panic, Jack barely manages to pin down the hand.

“Now, now, you might want to consider killing us here.” He sputters, holding back the fright in his voice. “You wouldn’t harm your own family, right? _ Maki-nee _ ?”

…

Rantarou pulls the boy behind for goodness knows how long, out of the shadowy place, into the light of the street, before they hide inside a decrepit structure, eyes frantically scanning for any more threat present. Affirming that there’s none in sight, he lets out a shaky breath, and collapses on the dirty cement ground. 

His legs are sore from the run, his heart is beating like crazy. His brain is screaming against his skull, the adrenaline has yet to recede.  _ ‘What the fuck was that?’ _

That shadow was vicious and feral, and that inhumane strength and speed it possessed. If it hadn’t been for the two strongest members of DICE, surely it would have been able to finish both of them in a whoosh. _ ‘Something like that is after Shuichi, after us?’  _ First, it was just Shuichi unable to go out, now something like this comes into the picture… It’s gonna get worse, isn’t it?

Rantarou spends a glance over the boy beside him, who is shaking like a leaf, his lips quivering. A pang of sympathy hits him. This boy has too much bombarded him at once, losing his life, his status and now… this. The circumstance reminds him of something he has buried away years ago.

_ “Ran...tarou… I’m sorr...y…” _

No, he won’t allow it to happen again. 

Rantarou grabs Shuichi by his shoulders, grounding the boy in his presence. 

“It’s okay, Shuichi.”, Unfortunately, he can’t control the tremble in his hand and voice. “We’ll be here. We’ll protect you.”

…

They wait for one or two hours or so…, beats him he doesn't know, with the green-haired boy peering out of the half-shattered window every few seconds. Only until they both have calmed down, and Rantarou sharp intuition tells him it’s safe to exit. 

The two haul their exhausted bodies back to the shelter, sparing glances here and there in a gust of paranoia.

The door creaks open, revealing a Kirumi dutifully waiting.

“Welcome back, you’re later than I expected…” She grimaces at the sight of the two. “What happened?”

“Kirumi, we need to talk.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'You know, it's not a good idea to just cram two weeks worth of development in one paragraph.'
> 
> 'I know. I'm sorry. :(("
> 
> \---  
> Also, about what Miu lost at the beginning of the chapter... don't worry about it. You know her.


	6. Not made that way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reason why astronaut man is being sneaky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter where seal has no idea what they are doing.
> 
> also, i'll be absent next week, tests coming. after that, updates will be sparse as this chapter is close to the one im writing.

Kaito Momota is a morning person, yes of course he oversleeps from time to time, but mostly he’s an early bird. 

His usual routine would include waking up, getting down for breakfast and bickering with his housemates over some silly things, then he would wander outside to kill time. It would be simple, normal, involving shaved ice and staring at pedestrian passing by. And one day, that normality is broken when he accidentally bumps into a strange girl in red, making her drop the lollipop she’s holding . 

Originally, Kaito would have just apologized to her quickly and carried on, as his common sense told him to. However, as he notices the way the other girl looks at the sweet on the ground longingly, the guy feels bad about simply leaving the girl be when it was his fault that she lost the candy, so he offers to buy her a new one as compensation. 

It’s weird, buying sweets for a stranger even though they are about the same age(from what he can deduce) and the girl herself even refuses the offer at first. Yet something in the back of his mind tells him that what he has just done is horrible, from the way she stares at the thing on the ground like something so precious, and thus Kaito insists. 

With a heavy sigh, she takes it, out of obligation only and requests that it would be the last time they meet.

Confused, but Kaito agreed with the terms.

…

_ Grandmother used to tell him. _

_ “Humans are bound by fate, whether it’s love, friendship, rivalry or hatred. If you are destined to be with someone, then no matter what, you will encounter them again.” _

Kaito stays at home for the next few days. When he ventures outside of the house again, he catches a glimpse of red color at the edge of his vision.

…

The second time he meets the girl face-to-face, she is sitting idly under the shade of a tree, under the blazing hot Sun. He takes a seat next to her, to which the girl is flabbergasted, annoyed by the sudden re-encounter. 

Kaito is a man of science, so he does not buy into superstitions like predestined fate. But if it’s something his grandmother, the one who raised him into the grown-ass adult he is today, believed in, then he wouldn’t mind testing it out a little bit. 

He offers her a treat.

…

He introduces himself with his trademark “Kaito Momota, ‘Luminary of the Stars’” and asks for her name.

She tells him she cannot.

...

The girl in red, as cold and unfeeling as she makes herself out, has a surprising affinity for sweets. Once, he catches her staring at the half-eaten ice-cream in his hand, after she has finished hers. Kaito laughs and jokes about her likings for sugar amounts to that of a child. The girl blushes in embarrassment and punches him in the arm in fluster.

He buys her another one.

…

He tells her about his life with his grandparents. Because of his circumstances, his parents were not available, but young Kaito wasn’t troubled by it. He loved Grandmother and Grandfather. He loved Grandmother’s confectionaries, her stories about fateful reunions and the gods and human connections, while Grandfather would nod along and mess with the spikes in his hair. He opts out the part where they are forcefully ripped away from him. He asks about her family. She replies that she has none, not biologically anyways and they haven’t met in years.

He quickly changes the topic to the constellation and asks her if she could join him in a star-gazing. 

The girl refuses.

…

Today, Kaito is dressed in one of his best outfits. He is excited because he is definitely going to see the girl in red again. They have seen each other for quite a number of times now and the last time she agrees to meet at the square where street magicians often perform. 

Kaito pushes himself through the mass, until his eyes catch the familiar red color. There she is, lurking under the shade of a fall tree. She is in her usual red outfit, with dark teal skirt and leather shoes. Her long twin tails cast along the trace of her shoulders and fall onto the wooden bench. 

He waves at her and runs to where she sits, beaming. “Hello! You’re early!”

“And you’re late.” The girl taps lightly on her wrist-watch. “You said to meet at 9.am. It’s 9.45.”

“Woah! Sorry. I didn’t want my roommates to notice.”

She nods. “Alright. I forgive you, on one condition. Three vanilla MarcBear.”

Kaito snorts, feeling the thinning wallet in his pocket. “Yes, right away, missy.”

…

“So, you like stars.” The girl states as she chomps on the last bit of ice.

“I sure do. I mean, who doesn’t? Stars are amazing! Do you know that they are mostly not solid but hydrogen and helium? So technically they are just big balls of light light years away! Sometimes, the stars may not even be present but we simply see its remaining light…”

“Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there.” She places a finger on his lips. “I don’t understand whatever you are spouting, sounds like a star nerd.”

“Well, even if you don’t get those concepts, at least you can appreciate the beauty of those twinky little dots, right?”

The girl in red falls silent. Her eyes trail off to the ice-cream in her hand, then down at her feet.

“I… never paid attention before.”

Kaito feigns a gasp.

“No way! Missy! You are missing a big chunk of life! No dreams go fulfilled if one doesn’t know about the presence of the stars!” 

At this, she blushes profusely. “W-well, it’s not like I have time for that. I’m very busy, with night shifts!”

“Ehh? Is that so?” He stifles a laugh. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, haha! I just found that reaction really cute. It suits you. And,” he adds, “ you should smile more. Like this!”

Kaito bares his teeth, corners of his cheeks pulled up and his eyes scrunch up as emphasis. He knows he looks ridiculous right now, but honestly, he doesn’t care. The boy just wants to see a smile blooming on her lips, an expression that would be much more befitting for a teenage girl. He recalls times when he sees a girl smiles. Kirumi has a small smile, tentative and caring. Kaede has a positive smile, one that would bring you joy and hope. Tenko has a big smile that would invigour you for the rest of the day(even though she would deck you a second later). Himiko is the opposite, making you want to go back to bed and cuddle in warm futons. Angie's is bright and warm like golden sunflowers, though can be just as mystifying as the dark wysteria. And Miu has… well, Miu is Miu, it’s still lovely nonetheless. And then there is his grandmother, a smile as blazing as the Sun yet still gentle enough not to burn his skin. The one that he had grown with, had seen throughout his childhood, the one that had taught him the tales of the stars and legends, one that had always resonated in him, long after her passing.

A girl’s most beautiful moment is when she smiles. It’s the only thing that stays permanent throughout their life, even when their youth wilts with age and their skin wrinkle in the golden phrase, because the smile is what culminates their entire beings, what their soul chooses to stand for and the kind of happiness they grant to others. 

Which is why he wants to see the girl before him smile, the kindness that she is able to gift and to spread, the type of happiness that she stands for.

Slowly, the corner of her mouth tugs upwards. It’s awkward, as if she hasn’t done so for years. Her lips are quivering like protesting they are not made for that purpose. Still, the girl does her best to keep on smiling and brandishes it to him proudly. Kaito feels his heart skip a beat. 

His face feels like it’s heating up, probably because of the day heat, right? Jeez, tropical weather, still gets to you even after you stuff yourself full of ice-cream. He’s also sweating non-stop, too. Yep, definitely the weather.

The girl's smile now turns into a pout. She stares at him in bewilderment.

“You’re acting weird. Isn’t it what you want?”

“Y-yes, of course. It’s great, miss!” He’s stuttering. He’s STUTTERING! And What kind of compliment is that? That’s so dumb! Come on, Kaito, focus, focus! “Right…, the show is starting in a minute, right? We should go!”

He faces away as she follows, trying to hide the red blossoming on his cheeks.

…

Kaito returns to the shelter, way giddier than usual. Today has been a success. He didn’t expect to get so close to a stranger in the span of two weeks but here he is, burying his face in the pillow and screaming like a love-struck teenage girl. Shuichi did his low-key questioning again, but Kaito brushed them off for the time being. His hunch tells him it was still a bit too soon to introduce her, but soon enough.

The girl in red agreed to see him tomorrow, too, and he can’t wait for next morning to come.

…

She is sitting under the same spot as the day before, same sceneries, same heat, yet something is amiss. 

When Kaito approaches, her head wips in his direction, staring blankly. 

“Miss?”, he grasps at her, a poor attempt to reach out. Before his hand touches, the girl abruptly straights up and heads to a general direction. 

“Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

…

The girl nibbles on the chunk of MarcBear, uncharacteristically quiet. Well, Miss here has never been the talkative type, but at least her gestures are not so… dull. Her shoulders sag and droop, movements are slow and stagnant, contrast to her common quick and sharp motions. The boy can’t help but feel uneasy at the sudden shift in demeanour.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”, he asks concerningly. 

She opens her mouth half-way to answer, and then decides against it. Whatever words she wants to express, lump in her throat and evaporate. Nothing comes out, just empty and shallow breaths. Finally, she manages.

“Hey, so the stars you talked about yesterday, I want to hear more about it.” There’s a hint of desperation. 

Kaito blinks, certainly does not miss the attempt to change the subject. Yet he doesn’t pry into it. And he acquiesced.

“Hehe, I know you would be interested.”, he feigns complacency and rambles on, “Do you know that the Sun is…”

…

Miss pulls him away from the crowd. Kaito follows headlessly. Whenever he questions where they are going to, Miss merely graces him with “something I want to show you”.

They stop at an old, abandoned apartment and the girl begins to climb up the steps. Kaito is left at the entrance, puzzled. Something is very wrong. The dread sits at the pit of his stomach, shouting that things are not adding up. The girl’s strange behaviour up until now and the fact that there’s nobody around to witness whatever is about to happen. Only then that Kaito realizes the way her footsteps do not sound at all, despite the mute environment they are in. He is too well-reminded of Hoshi’s cat when it waylaid to catch mice in the alley. He did not slip up his status as an Ultimate, didn’t he?

The girl in red turns back to face him as if sensing his hesitation, her crimson eyes glimmer in the dark. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” She spreads her arms as proof. “Unarmed.”

…

The girl leads them to the rooftop of the building. A gust of wind billows, filling the silence in the air.

He doesn’t want to suspect the other has ill-intention. From their interactions in the past days, despite the mysteries that shrouded her origins, she is not a bad person. If the girl before him had planned to off him from the start, she wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble befriending him, right? Right?

The girl walks over to the ledge, she gestures for him to come closer. Kaito, grounded in obfuscation and denial, combined with his trust in their friendship, sets up a dangerous case of brain shutdown and decides to stupidly follow the instruction. His mind is shireking, half telling him to turn around and run and save his own skin, half to have faith in his so-called ‘friend’, because if they aren’t, then Kaito is pretty fucked, isn’t he?

As he is in the spot she points at, muscles all stiff and shaking in his boots, she tells him.

“Look down.” Demandingly, ‘this is not a request’ goes unsaid.

His neck is as hard as a wooden pole, still he forces his head down. The sight makes him nauseous. The roof is 6 storeys up. The image spirals deep into his brain, engraves itself in it. Wild imagination plays a mental old-fashion film, where the tape rolls in slow motion, each frame portrays the ground below inching closer and closer and…

“Do you think a human can survive from this high up?” she says so casually, like it’s not a vile and repulsive depiction of death. Her palm grips his right shoulder, digging through the layer of fabric and tearing off the skin underneath. Her clutch is strong, too fucking strong, and she doesn’t even look like trying. Just from the touch alone, Kaito knows he won’t escape. And what did she say earlier again? “Unarmed.” Ha! Bet she doesn’t even need to be armed. His hands clasp at the railing, lumps of meat and veins in his palm bulge. Words and bile clump in his throat. 

Not receiving an answer, she shakes her head, eyes droop disappointedly.

Her hand shifts and Kaito feels his centre of gravity tumbling to the other side of the edge, the land beneath his feet vanishing…

Except not. Kaito is still on the rooftop, unharmed. The girl, however…  _ ‘Wait. What the  _ heck  _ is she doing?’ _

Situated herself on the railing, her pigtails fly in the same rhythm as the wind. Bright crimson irises glaze over the cyan sky dorming above…

And she leans backwards. 

His stomach drops, for a different reason entirely. Dread subsides, panic reigns control. Like a fucking bullet, Kaito shoots out, grabbing at anything, anything, to stop the vicious red color that is about to bleed all over his vision. 

Now, this is normally, in films, the scene when the heroine is able to catch the girl and they would dangle at the edge of the building, in which he would convince her to reconsider the bird-ass decision and struggles, but manages to pull her up. But reality is a little shitter than that, cinematic qualities be damned. Kaito’s centre of gravity shifts, this time for real, over the railing and gravity pulls both of them down. 

_ ‘This is probably the end’, _ he thinks, miraculously in the fraction of second to spare, ‘ _ what a shit way to go.’ _

Kaito solemnly accepts his fate, fully embracing the upcoming a bit too forceful kiss mother earth is going to grace on him.  _ ‘At least grandmother would be proud.’ _

Suddenly, the wind spitting onto his face is blocked by warm body heat. His feet are tossed to one side and he lands in a grandeur. The air stops howling. 

Pressures pressed on the two sides of his arms, though it’s not as malicious as the previous(ahem, “not as”). 

“What the FUCK did you think you were doing?!”, furious, she growls, veins pop on her forehead. “If it weren’t me then you would have fall to your fucking DEATH!”

Kaito regains his composure, processed that he isn’t a giant splatter on the cement. He snaps back. 

“What? And just let you fall? What kind of heartless person would I be?!”

“Then grow some brain and know what kills you and what doesn’t. With that attitude, you’d be dead before you know it.”

“Excuse me? Sorry that I reacted in the way a normal human being would!” He barks, eyebrows knit together in an angry frown. He cannot fathom what the other girl was thinking, what she was trying to prove. First to scare the shit out of him, and then to leisurely jump down the fucking roof, and then to do a flourish landing that Kaito would have been amazed by if his heart wasn’t working itself to an early grave. All those absurd actions, as if to show off her physical prowess. On second thought, that’s probably what she was trying to do, wasn’t it?

“Shut it.” Her eyes glow in the shadow nestles between the buildings. “A normal person would know a danger and stay away.”

“Well yeah? You think you can flex some muscles and I would be scared? Something like”, he forges his most satire tone, '' “oh no, mister Kaito here is a helpless baby and if I intimidate him enough, he’ll probably leave”. The heck did you take me for?”

“For a damn idiot who doesn’t know when it’s not his business.”

“Really? Then this is what you want to accomplish? Shooing me away? Say whatever you want. I’m not leaving.”

“If that is your decision, you’re just as stupid as you look.”

Kaito lets out an indignant huff. The girl before him looks no less fiery. In fact, the scowl on her face only deepens further, printing a depthless crevice on her supposedly endearable visage. A dark aura envelopes the tensing abs and limbs, red hue standing out in the midst. He can hear the sound of crumbling and shattering ground in her mindplace. If Kaito doesn’t know any better, he would say it’s the devil in front of him.

“My body was genetically enhanced, I could drop from that height without sustaining injuries. I could snap every of your bones without breaking a sweat. You can feel it too when I grabbed your shoulder. Don’t lie, it’s written on your face.”

Honestly, Kaito is a bit flustered at that. He would prefer to see himself as a strong guy who can take anything head-on. Well, it’s not like he could help himself at the moment. He turns back to the other girl. Wait, “genetically enhanced”?

“They created me in a lab. I was then trained to fully optimize my physical abilities and do dirty works for them. So basically, I’m a living weapon. Violence, kidnapping,...  _ murder _ , under their orders. Even the reason I’m here right now it’s because they assigned me another doleful soul to the list and once I’ve completed my assignment, I’ll return. And  _ repeat _ .” Passionate determination hardens on her face, red color stares directly into his magenta.

“You shouldn’t get involved. They may not know of your presence, but once they notice, you’ll be labeled as a hindrance to the mission and exterminated. And when it comes down to that, I won't hesitate.” Voice turns cold and icy, last ditch effort at intimidation. “So this is your last _ warning. Do not engage. _ This is not the place where you should stick your nose to.” 

“No.”

“No?”

“No!”, he insists.

Her dark expression morphs into that of confusion, more confusion, then full-blown blazing fury. “Even with that and you still refuse to back down? You treat a stranger to ice-cream like a damning 3-year-old, acting all friendly, and then you see them again, without knowing who you are dealing with and even after I outright told you I’m a _ threat _ , you still RECKLESSLY charged in head first like some headless moth! Don’t you have some self-preservation? I’m telling you you’re gonna get yourself KILLED!”

The girl is trembling. She mouths the word “killed” once more time for emphasis. Eyes never leave his. Kaito can’t help but feel his gut squished.

“You are rambling about being all dangerous and shady and that I’m an idiot for befriending you. While in truth you also act all too happy and giddy when I take you out. Say, missy, if you intrinsically are as menacing as you say you are, why did you look so heart-broken over some lollipop you dropped on the street? Why did you take my offer? Why agree on hanging out again? I’m a hard-boiled stubborn bastard, but you still went along with my mirth regardless and”, a pause, for everything to sink in. The bond, the threat on his life, her sudden outburst that is a bit too similar to that of a cornered animal, “I know why. If what you said it’s true, then no one must have treated you with something even remotely nice before. You are capable of snuffing my life out of me, miss, that I can’t deny, but it doesn’t mean you are inherently dangerous, because as long as you don’t want to hurt me, my life is guaranteed. And I know you don’t, that’s why you are pulling this in the first place.”

He places his palm gently on the side of her cheek, thumb brushing against the corner of her mouth, tugging it upwards to resemble that of a smile. “That’s why I trust you. You don’t have to be alone in this. You are not a monster you may think you are. You are a young girl who didn’t get to enjoy the glee of youth that you rightfully should have.” ‘ _ Like me _ ’, he thinks, but Kaito is going to keep that to himself. 

The palm moves to the side of her arm. Slight tremor can be felt underneath the thin layer of fabric. Her fierceful demeanour now gone, replaced with something akin to pain and vulnerability. Kaito resists the urge to pull the girl into a tight embrace.

“I can take you under my wing. You can stay somewhere safe, that way those bastards you work for can’t reach you anymore. Don’t worry, miss, like hell I’m going to leave you out.”

“You dumbass, it’s not that simple…” the girl sobs, yet she offers nothing else. Her hand reaches up to his, the one that is situated on her left arm, squeezing it like a lifeline. They stay that way for a comfortable transience, none of them make a move to appreciate the silent acceptance taking place. At long last, after a good few minutes, she breaks off.

“The reason I didn’t give you my name, it’s because I don’t have one. In the lab, they always refer to me by my assigned index, and I only take a last name occasionally when I go on missions.”

Incense and bitterness flickers in his guts. The audacity of some people…

“I see. Is there anything you would like to be called?”

“...”, she hesitates, but finally decides, “Maki.”

“Like, in ‘a roll’? A sushi roll? First the sweets and now sushi, damn, I don’t know you like food that much?” The mood is tense, so he tries to lighten it.

“S-shut up” Maki blushes. “It’s a name someone gave me before.”

‘Ahh, so she had someone dear to her, too’

Kaito flexes his most inspiring smile, the one the grandmother and grandfather used to praise him for.

“Alright, Maki Roll! Welcome to the club! You’ll fit right in!”

“Wait, I didn’t say I agree!”

“Too bad, sidekick, Kaito here has already made his mind.”

“No, you don’t get it! I…”

*Ring, ring*

He pouts. Why would anyone call him at this time, right when he may have just recruited a new member for their group. With an irritated huff, he picks up the phone.

“Yes, Kaito here. What is it?”

“Kaito, thank goodness you finally pick up. It's an emergency.” It’s Kirumi on the other side of the line. Although she sounds calm as usual, there is a tinge of panic in her tone. “Kaede is in  _ big _ trouble .”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito, the Ultimate wooer. 
> 
> the next few chapters will be heavy, as we are approaching the climax of arc 1, so uh... buckle up, i guess? or not. i don't know. based on your taste.


	7. Distance, and a few more miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ultimate Inventor's melancholy. She also made an appalling discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: reference to loneliness, brief description of dead body(It's only a short paragraph, but it can be unpleasant, skip from "'At night, no less...'" to when Miu starts her string of curses, it's all in caps so it should be easy to spot :DD)

*Zrrr, zrrr*

The zapping sound echoes in the dark room, with the only source of light being the dim light from the worn-out table lamp and the firing solder in her hand. The glowing hot tip of the metal pieces melt and fuse together in a satisfying manner, cooling down and forming a small bumpy slab at the point of adjacent.

Miu leans back on her chair, admiring the craftwork. After days working on it, it’s finally done. The ‘Super Duper Heavy Metal Mega Multi Spurt Gun’ that DICE commissioned from her, equipped with up to ten chambers to contain all kinds of liquid and can shoot up to 3.6m per seconds, lethal to any grumpy poor doofus out there. Even out of generosity, Miu has gone all the way to give it additional soft polyester cover, so that the gun can all be used as a makeshift whacky toy to attack in close range. 

“Haha! This girl is a genius!” She laughs obnoxiously. It is loud enough to earn a frustrated chide from Kaede from the other corner of the room.

“Shut up, you _ass_! I’m trying to fucking sleep here!!” The pianist’s glare is piercing at her, making Miu squirm like a scaredy cat. “S-sorry.”

The disgruntled girl huffs and goes back to sleep, leaving the inventor to her device.

The girl takes note of her own fatigue after working on the little project, decides that it’s best for her to also take a rest. She yawns and wriggle in the futon besides Kaede, careful not to disturb the pianist. Kaede is really scary when she is sleepy, Miu has garnered that much from a year sharing a room with her. She closes her eyes and drifts off to dreamland.

…

_“Hey, mister?”_

_She was sitting in the back seat of a car, secured by a double-crossed seatbelt._

_“Yes?” The faceless man in the front seat is whirling the handwheel answered without a movement indicating his attention._

_“Why are two people over there holding hands?”_

_“That’s nothing you should be worried about, Miu. Spare that energy into the next project.”_

_Still, the little girl can’t help but linger on the pair as the car drove past them._

...

When she opens her eyes again, the Sun is already high up from the horizon.

Miu sloppily drags herself up from bed. Geez, she misses morning run today, and breakfast, too. That’s very unproductive of her. She heads downstair to grab a cup of coffee to move on the next commission. The materials were delivered from DICE weeks ago and she has been procrastinating on it long enough. Time to finally bring that baby to life. 

As she trails along the hand-railing, Miu catches a glimpse of Kaede’s blond hair near the kitchen entrance. Ah, Kaeidiot, rise and shine as usual. It’s funny how she is a completely different person when asleep. Tch, guess being in bed pulls out the devil in people. 

The invention rushes down to greet her roommate, preferably with some weird innuendoes along with it, ones that would cause the pianist to whack her. Miu may not say it out loud, but she enjoyed Kaede’s reaction to her hilarious jokes. Yes, Miu would live with those jokes and die with them, it’s her pride. She also is a slut to attention and if it makes her a masochist, so be it.

A few steps closer, and Miu notices another presence in the room. Shuichi. The new boy in town. Shy guy with a hat. He would also be flustered at Miu’s joke, but instead of calling her out like other members of the household do, the guy simply takes it and lets it slide. Come on, Succi, learn how to appreciate a good gag a little. Life would be brighter for you.

However, it seems that Miu wouldn’t have to fill the role afterall, as Kaede flexes one of her foreboding voices at him, making the other boy recoil for a second. ‘Wait, Kaediot does it outside of her sleep, when did that happen?’ The guy then blushes a bit at his own reaction and Kaede hugs her stomach, laughing. What the? Since when did those two get so close? And did Keadiot just boop him on the nose?

Miu purses her bottom lips in puzzlement, flabbergasted at a potential connection right under her nose. Shuichi has just been here for roughly more than two weeks, he is already so well integrated into their midst, despite the initial doubt reserved for him. And then here is Miu, has been around for more than a year and the most affectionate thing other group members have graced her is a deck in the head after a funny joke. 

Life is sometimes not fair.

Miu gallops back to her room. She isn't in the mood for caffeine anymore.

…

Miu zips the duffle bag open. Inside are small pieces of plastic and electronics just as she demanded, after those monkeys forgot to include them in the previous order. “Oopsie, guess working with you makes our brain degenerates, too!” The rascal singsonged. Damn those clowns, they have to jump at her at any given opportunity. How long they group has been working with them, she has no ideas. DICE had already been present by the time she joined. It was before they moved into this town, and Kaediot said they were associated around the founding period, never saw the leader in person, though. 

Moving on, Miu picks up the pieces from the bag, scrutinizing it meticulously. Despite being ludicrous clowns on the street, those guys do have eyes for materials. The plastic they provide isn’t regular cheap plastic you can find on online deals, but instead top-tier hyper-synthesized polymers that can only be found through specialized manufacturers. At least those jesters can be of use sometimes. 

Miu begins to fit the pieces together, dexterously like a kid building her lego model. Crafting and building has always been her strong suit and has been the only constant in her life. When she was younger, stinky faceless grown-ups would shove pieces of machinery in her hands and ordered her to invent something, because she was born for the sole purpose of that. Yet, even so, little Miu didn’t hate inventing, as it was her only friend. When the faceless adults reproached her for an unsatisfactory product, she invented a whacky auto-tune to cheer herself up. When she was locked up in the lab, fully isolated from the world, she invented a small robot friend. Even if he was destroyed only a moment later, his presence was worthwhile. Up until now, inventing has done nothing but supported her in every way possible. If the other tenants do not accept her as well, at least she would have these gadgets surrounding her. 

The sound of the cracklings of the soldering iron and whirlings of cog gears resound in the room, which is interrupted by a knock, just loud enough to be noticeable above the noises. Kaede peeks inside the room, looking all cheerful and delighted.

“Hi, Miu. You’re working on a new device? Cuz I remember you finished one just this morning.”

“Gorgeous girl over here has no time to rest. Be quick so I can get back to my beautiful invention.”

The pianist scoots over closer, peering over her shoulder. She points at the table curiously.

“What’s that?”

“A device that can kick you all petty asses back to where you belong so that you would stop bothering me.”

“Hmmm… okay.” She hums with the usual melodic voice. Her eyebrow pulls up pensively, debating what next to say. “I’m heading out, just buying some groceries. You wanna tag along?”

The inventor’s face darts from the pianist behind her, then to the mess on the table.

“No thanks. I feel like staying with my babies today than you apes.”

“Ehh? Miu-sama here is sure? I thought you would like some nice snacks! We can get some new clothes, too, considering that pinkish rag of a pijama is worn out already.”

The inventor bobs down to take a look at her outfits. True, her sleep-wear has been around ever since her joining. It practically was just some old clothes Kaede lent her when she first arrived. So for the girl herself to strike such an appealing deal...

“You dumbass can go out there and get whatever you want. I don’t care. I have work to do” And that’s final. Miu spins the chair back to her working desk, turning her back on her roommate.

Kaede’s expression pulls straight, from the weird noise the girl occasionally makes. She pouts, if not a little indignantly and walks away.

“Suit yourself then. I’m gonna get some MarcBear for everyone, but none for Miu since she refused to go with me.”

Kaede turns around to catch her roommate’s reaction. Miu has returned to her work, ignoring the minute provocation. Kaede’s frown deepens, but she lets her be and closes the door behind her. 

Miu is once again enveloped in the darkness of the room.

…

_Surrounding her are four white, spotless walls encased into a cage. The silence was deafening and the only way to kill it was to keep on working on her machines. The mechanical whirlings and the bubbling of chemicals stimulated her eardrums, letting them throb as the jolts in her brain ceaselessly carried the electrical pulses that proved she was still alive._

_Dull grey of metal was the only color to ornate the otherwise hollow room. Still, dull grey was what it was, dull. It could only do so much to keep her retinas from numbing themselves out. So she grabs a bottle of bright pink spray and covers the entire thing in pink. It was an unsightly color, she knew. Yet her mind rejoiced in the presence of a new hue, splatting ink across the white, soulless paper._

_She surreptitiously constructed a device that allowed her to connect to the outside world. A tiny peeping hole through the bleached white walls._

...

_They moved to a new place, as DICE requested._

_The groups started to unpack their carriers, which were not much. Most of their possession was left back at the old quarter, miles away. They could not afford a lorry to carry their stuff since it may attract attention._

_The new abode was nice and comfy enough, at least those clowns weren’t as heartless as to leave them in a dilapidated building. The members assigned room assortment among themselves. Predictably, Tenko shared with Himiko and Angie, Korekiyo with Gonta and Ryoma with Kaito… No one shared with Miu._

_No one likes to be friends with Miu._

_She thought that was it until the pianist approached her and exclaimed she wanted to be roommates._

...

More soothing zip and zap sounds. The inventor is immersed in her creation, forgetting the ticking of the clock hands. A long moment passes, and Miu finally takes her eyes off the incomplete apparatus in front of her. A glance over the clock tells her about three hours has passed, a few minutes before lunch. 

The inventor wraps up the pieces littered on the table surface and shoves them in the duffel bag. Only then she notices the small pack that arrived one day earlier. Sit in the pack are more small materials for her invention and… a tiny black square. Intrigued, Miu picks it up and examines it closely. She realizes it’s a small memory chip.

_‘Weird… did those clowns mess up the order?’_

Not that it’s any of her business and the best course of action is probably leaving the thing be since Miu wants no part in the jesters’ scheme. Those shady monkeys are too ridiculous to even be taken seriously, anyways. However, something doesn’t sit right with her. DICE may be a circus, but they never mess up a delivery, the most they did was a pack without a few items. Which happens all the time, but never giving the wrong ones. Which jogs Miu’s memory, didn’t Avocado tell her to check the pack carefully?

She inserts the chip in her personal laptop. A small video file appears on the screen. As she plays the videos, a grainy screen pops up. It's footage from a cheap camera.

The lens was pointed to a half open roller shutter. No one was in sight. The tape goes on for a solid 3 minutes, the same static image displayed on screen. The only way Miu knows the video is still playing is because of the runner on the timeframe bar and the subtle flickers in the grain pattern. Just as Miu loses her patience and quits the video, the door pulls up, revealing a tall, dark figure emerging from the shadow in the garage. The figure with long, slender arms and legs, long dark hair… and that pose! Left arm woven in front of the breast while right arm caressing the chin thoughtfully. The mask on the figure’s face holds even more familiarity that she can’t shake. _‘It can’t be him, right? What is he doing at that dubious place? At night, no less.’_

When she inspects the footage more carefully, she notices a shining slab of metal in the figure’s left hand. A machete? More closely and there was also some dark substance on the weapon as well. _‘Is that… blood?’_

The figure wipes some of the substance (blood?!) from their facial mask as well. They then pulled off the mask to breathe more freely, unraveling the same color on their lips. _‘Lipstick?’_

They flung the machete on one side, went inside the garage to pull out a half-opened black plastic bag. When she squints, she can barely make out the content… Nausea hits her like a truck. Her stomach convulses in protest. If she has eaten something that morning, she would certainly have purged it all out. Peeking out of the abysmal was a semi-recognizable face… of a young girl. Her one intact eye was wide open, her jaw was hanging loosely from her cheekbones. Whatever left of her visage screams terror, and the mutilated remains minimally exposed underneath the head...

_‘What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK?’_

The inventor cups her mouth to hold back the strangled noise escaping her lips. It takes her all her willpower not to shirek as loud as she could and fall as out of the chair. The figure, that thing, that fucking thing may be in the same house as her right now. A fucking murderous lunatic in their midst. 

She runs down the stairs, yanking the computer with her, not even bothering to unplug the charging port. 

She spots Kirumi in the kitchen. The maid is busying in front of the pot of soup, chatting with Ryoma and Gonta, who sit at the dining table. The later has the cat lying on his lap. 

“Kirumi! KIRUMI!!”, she screeches at the top of her voice. 

The maid sways away from the pot, turning down the flame and eyes her innocently, baffled by the sudden urgency in Miu’s behaviour. The other two follow suit. 

“Yes, Miu. Just in time, I have something to tell you.”

“Save it! This is urgent.”

With no hesitation, Miu drops the laptop on the kitchen table, under normal circumstances, she would have winced for her ‘baby’, now is not the time.

“Watch this.” She utters frantically. Her trembling hand fumbles to fast forward to footage to the scene from a B-rated horror movie, except the reality itself is the horror movie.

Kirumi watches the footage intently. Even her constant composure cannot hide her disgust and dread. Ryoma narrows his eyes, his lips pursed. Gonta pales immediately.

“N-no…”

“Tch. Just problems piling after problems, huh?”

“Korekiyo is not in the house.” the maid says, panic and disbelief evident in her voice. “Miu, call those still in the house to meet at the kitchen immediately. I’ll call the people who are still out there.” She orders, flipping her phone open. Miu hastily rushes towards the stair to call whoever are present up there. She halts when a horrified gasp escapes Kirumi.

“What’s wrong?”

“Dammit.” She swears, and when Kirumi swears, things are very wrong. 

“Kaede texted me that she is eating out with Korekiyo and won’t return for lunch today.”

“Fuck!” Fingers dig into her scalp. “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!” 

“It was over an hour ago.”

Her indexes hastily dial in the phone number.. 

“...”

“...”

“*Toot* *toot* *toot*...”

One more call.

“*Toot* *toot* *toot*...”, same result.

“Kaede never not picking up calls. I have a bad feeling. Gather everyone, _now_!”

…

The kitchen breaks into chaos. The occupants in the room, either crying in distress, or expressing disgust and dread like Kirumi did two minutes ago. 

Shuichi is petrified where he stands, colour drained completely from his face, his bottom lip quivering. Gonta is sobbing, repeating “but Korekiyo is a friend” like a mantra, as if it would remain true if he chants long enough. Himiko clutches the fabric on Tenko’s blue shirt, while the latter holds her in an embrace protectively, face scrunching up in distaste. Angie stares at the screen like a statue, her cheerful smile completely wiped from her face. Ryoma inhales deeply to maintain his disposition, although he cannot hide the tremble of his balled up fist.

“We should split up in pairs or groups, search around the town for those two. Let’s hope Kaede is still safe at this point.” The tennis pro instructs. 

The rest raise their heads, attempting to recover from the shock, and nod. There is no running away from reality if they want their friend to return in one piece. 

“Ryoma with Gonta, Tenko with Himiko and Angie. Miu with me. I’ll contact Kaito and Rantarou on the way. Shuichi, you stay here and let us know if any of us find anything.”

“A-alright.”

The inventor quickly hands him a small earpiece, giving instructions in a haste, “This one is connected to those losers’ cell phones. Just push this” she points to the small button, “to switch on different lines, get it? My laptop over there can be used to search for locations. Don’t fuck this up, newbie. Her life depends on this.”

The boy returns her a curt nod and swiftly equips the device. Miu rushes to her mission. 

Miu would like to reject pairing with Kirumi, as her cowardly self would do. Living under the same roof as such a murderer is bad enough. Now she has to confront that murderer herself. She knows Kirumi is more than capable in combat, but Miu herself is hapless in a fight. If she has to go one on one with Korekiyo, she’s doomed for sure, and there’s no telltale that Kirumi would be able to protect her if things turn to shit. 

Except it was her who left Kaede by herself. If she hadn’t been a fucking toddler and throwing petty tantrum, Kaede would not have gone out all by herself. Then that fucking nutjob Korekiyo would not have approached her. He can overpower one woman, but perhaps not two. They both would have been able to move safely. 

Which is why, she garners all her courage and follows Kirumi outside of the shelter. 

…

_She hugged the broken robot in her arm. A younger Miu kneeled on the dirty, gritty, retching cement ground. Tears spilled out of her eyes. The world cried with her._

_She had made a mistake. She had shown defiance and now was abandoned, in the middle of nowhere, filled with filth and garbage. Because no one knew about her existence aside from her custodian and his colleagues, she could be scrapped away like trash and nobody would care. Not even her inventions were there with her anymore._

_As droplets of tears and rain blurred her eyes, she could make out a humanoid at zooming towards her, their footsteps becoming more and more audible under the pitta patta of the pouring._

_“Hello, my name is Kaede Akamatsu. From this day onwards, you’ll have a place to belong with us.”_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bonus scene when Kirumi calls Kaito at the end of chap6, done with the explanation and stuff*  
> "...so Shuichi is operating the communication centre. Open your keypad to connect to him."  
> "Done. What's next?"  
> "Key in "MY GLORIOUS DICK", all in caps."  
> "... Excuse me?"  
> ""MY GLORIOUS DICK"..."  
> "Sorry, I think I have misheard..."  
> "I know you heard it, Kaito. Just key in the damn thing!"  
> "Who let Miu get a hand in this?!"


	8. Sister dearest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sister, sister, sister...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains details that can cause discomfort. None of them are explicit, but they are heavily implied. See at the end note for warning.

Angie is angry. Very angry. She wonders what had happened for Kamii-sama to let this calamity befall on them.

The three girls roam through the street. Himiko barely gets to put on a cap to hide her natural red head while Tenko sloppily wears a sleeveless hoodie over her normal outfit. She is a little concerned about the other two. It’s risky for them to run around in public without proper camouflage to hide their identities. There are people out there who are looking for them. Yet because of the haste(and the absurdity) of the situation, they couldn’t afford to be picky. 

Kaede’s life may be in danger. Kirumi had tried to contact her a few times, which received no response from the other line, which only pressed more into the gravity of it. Kaede is the most trusted and adored member in the group. She fits in the leader role. If something happens to her, their group would be akin to a snake losing its head. And with it inflicted by yet another trusted group member, their unity may fall apart. 

Angie will not allow such outcomes. 

She has expected something like this would happen with how easily they accept new members. Even with the initial vigilance, in the end, it's still no background check, no thorough interactions beforehand, the only quality required is the farce of a seemingly hopeless Ultimate who may or may not suffer in the circumstances they are in. While Shuichi's arrival has been a blessing, Korekiyo's, apparently, is not. And now their good intentions are being used against them. What a travesty.

She doesn’t have to wear a disguise, no one would recognize her anyways, so she takes the lead and instructs the other two to follow her. They pass through yet another desolated apartment. Shuichi deduces that if the perpetrator is keeping Kaede captive, they would choose a place as remote as possible. Empty constructions would be ideal. Kirumi has tried to ask the jesters about the location of the footage, and received no response. For the time being, they only have themselves to rely on. 

For a fairly populated and well-off town, this place sure has many abandoned regions, which is perhaps the reason why their trusted associate DICE (or should they be trusted?) picked this place as their new abode. Unfortunately, it only proves to be troublesome in this state.

Tenko, the more physically apt one, has run ahead to inspect the upper floors of the building while Himiko and Angie search the lower ones. Angie curtly told Tenko to shout as loud as possible when she saw anything suspicious and promised that she would do the same. Disappointingly, this is yet another fruitless attempt. As they regroup, Angie nods to Himiko, who then proceeds to text Shuichi back at their ‘headquarter’ to eliminate the location on the map.

They move onto the next one. 

…

The Sun is leaning closer to the horizon and still no signs of Kaede. 

The trio is getting more and more desperate. A ping from Shuichi tells them the other groups are not yielding anything, either and Angie mentally curses to herself, she would have done so out loud if not for Kamii-sama’s advice at temperament. Panic won’t solve anything, he preaches and Angie inhales deeply to refresh her mind. There are still places they haven’t looked. There’s still hope. 

As the three girls are running hastily, Angie catches the sight of a familiar lock of long black hair, hidden away in a corner where sunlight doesn’t touch. Her aching feet skit on the gritty ground and Tenko dashing behind her bumps into her shoulder blade. 

“What the…?” the Aikido Master yelps as Angie points to the shadowy figure turning away from them. Tenko’s feature morphes from concern, to recognition, to raging fury. Her muscles tense up in anger and grunts escape her throat. 

Himiko trailing behind finally catches up to the other two, placing a hand on her fuming friend’s arm before Tenko yanks it away and charges forwards. 

“Tenko, wait!” Angie shouts out at Tenko’s hot-headedness. Korekiyo has proved himself to be a cunning fox, who knows what he might have under his sleeves. Yet no amount of calling would be able to relent the destructive force lauching at the man.

In a flash, Tenko tackles Korekiyo to the ground, two feet pining his hand, incapacitating him from reprisal. The man is utterly astonished by his sudden position on the ground. He stares at the girl looming over him.

“Tenko? What are you doing?”

“EXPLAIN yourself, _menace_.” She shrieks at him. His eardrums are probably going to burst at this instance. If it’s not for the atrocities this man has committed, Angie would have felt bad for him. “What are you HIDING from us?!” ‘ _Though_ _shouldn’t she ask where is she?’_

While Angie is glad that no bloodshed ensued, she can't help but notice the unconventionally 'tame' reaction from Tenko upon confronting the murderous, traitorous degenerate. No hitting, no smacking, just a simple pin to the ground and some yelling to the face. 

The man under her stutters. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! Tenko! Calm down and let me know what’s happening…”

“Let you know what’s happening?”, she sneers, venomous. “Alright. I’ll let you know what’s happening.”

Even more to Angie's confusion, she rips off the mask from his face.

…

_Kohaku and Korekiyo. Korekiyo and Kohaku. They are two but one. Kohaku was outgoing, charismatic and admirable, while Korekiyo was reserved, quiet and preferred to observe from the dark. Together, they were the Ultimate Anthropologist._

_Father loved Kohaku, for her perfection. Korekiyo also loves his sister, for she was someone he looked up to. She has the beauty that no one can match. Even though they had the same face, Kohaku had always been the more beautiful one and the front for both of them. Korekiyo promised that if she is the light, he will be the shadow. Whatever fate planned for them, he will be there for her._

_…_

_When they turned 12, abnormal symptoms manifested in Kohaku. At first, only a few small red dots appeared on her otherwise immaculate skin. Doctors said it was simply puberty and would vanish once she entered adulthood. The dots expanded into patches and spread all over her visage. She showed up less and less in meetings. Father didn’t favour her as much as before._

_Korekiyo was incensed. Kohaku deserved all the love and care given to her. She was not a doll to be thrown away after losing its initial beauty. She is still his sister and the vow he made would always stand, no matter what, because she was the Kohaku he loved._

_One day, he caught her scratching at the patches pooling all over her face._

_“I hate this skin. It puts me in misery. I have to get rid of it, so new skin would grow. I would be beautiful again.”_

_Her answers delivered a punch to his gut, a blow to his heart. Korekiyo took her hands in his and planted a kiss on her forehead._

_“If you don’t like that face anymore, you can use mine. What is mine is also yours. I’ll always be here for you.”_

_…_

_He complied to every of her requests. She wanted him to dance, he danced. She wanted him to do the chores. He did the chores. She wanted him to strip naked and put on her dress, he stripped naked and wore the dress. No matter how painful or grating her orders were, he did it because he was hers. Like shadow could not exist without light, without her, he was meaningless._

_Yet, no one revered her the way he did. Instead, they turned to him, who now has a beautiful face. Father’s smile now directed at him, not at Kohaku. This was all wrong. Kohaku was the one who should be at the receiving end of attention, not him. Korekiyo began to wear masks to hide his face. This way, he would match with his sister and her worth would be larger than his._

_Unfortunately, things didn't go as intended. Kohaku summoned him to her room. She dresses in her most proud kimono, with a butterfly obi that adorned her slim waist._

_“Korekiyo, my brother. It’s ill luck that peril had rained down on me.This disease of mine has not ameriorated over the past few years. Now my presence goes unnoticed by bypassers. They always call us Korekiyo and his sister, no longer Korekiyo and Kohaku. Don’t you think this is unfair for me, Korekiyo, that your sister has to withstand such fate?”_

_She gestured for him to scoot closer. Her dainty hand caressing his cheek._

_“You have such beautiful complexity, Korekiyo, one that rivals with that of humanity itself. Even though we have the same face, you’re beautiful, and I’m ugly. All these red rashes make me look like a monster steps out of folklore.” She closed her eyes in contemplation, then opened the amber colour resided on her irises. She stared as if looking into a mirror. “My dearest brother, you love me, don’t you? Then don’t you ever leave me. Swear your loyalty.”_

_She handed him a velvet box. Inside the box was a glinting knife. Its blade reflected his countenance._

_For her, I’ll do anything._

…

Tenko grimaces in disgust at his face. 

He understands. Afterall, this face is hideous. 

Deep, large scars run from the corners of his mouth to his ears. The stitches are jagged and uneven. Bits of flesh clumsily sewn together. He recalls the bitter sting and dripping touch when he felt cold skin to pierce the needle through.

“Is this the answer you are looking for? Then, I’m glad that you have it. Now, please recite to me the sequence which leads to this sudden violence.”

The girl slaps him across the face. Korekiyo is dumbfounded at the successive impact. His face hurts like a monkey just shitted on it.

“What the fuck? That’s uncalled for! Why?!”

She grabs him by the collar.

“Degenerate.” She hisses. “Care to explain why there’s a murderer with your face around here?”

Realization breaks at the edge. A murderer with his face… and these three girls somehow know about it. He did not disclose his small investigation to anyone in the household. This is his responsibility and his alone. Which is why, when the news of missing young girls and unusual signs was broadcasted on television, he had reserved his doubt to look into it. If the nature of this crime is the same as he suspected, then he is liable to put a stop to it. It was his fault that things have escalated to this point and he had decided to no longer turn a blind eye. 

And for some reason, the identity of the perpetrator had reached these girls. Did they encounter _her_? No one in their group is in danger, don’t they? 

“ _Korekiyo_. We don’t have time. Kaede is in danger.”

“What?”

“Your look-alike may have kidnapped her. You need to tell us what you know. NOW.”

“Wait, Tenko. What is going on?”, Himiko shouts from behind. 

Tenko turns her head around. “Someone else holds Kaede captive. It’s not Korekiyo.”

“Huh?”

“Then… where is she?”

Korekiyo holds his breath. It’s true after all. The nightmare that haunts him for the last year is stepping out of the frame of mirage and entering reality. Thousands of possibilities flood his mind. None of them is pretty. The phrase “she is here, she will take them away” is played on repeat. The man would have dissociated from the realm of realism if Tenko doesn’t snap him back to the present.

“Hey! Degenerate! Spill what you know!”

“I-I don’t know. That’s why I’m investigating…”

The girl tsks in irritation. She releases the hold on his wrists and pulls him up to a standing position. Tenko, for all her declared hatred for men, is surprisingly lenial today. She doesn’t have the patience for mundane bickering.

“Then we have to get on, quick. Angie, where’s the next destination?”

…

_Years of studying human’s history and progression, yet Korekiyo still failed to fathom one of human’s most basic flaws. Entitlement. One assigns themself to an identity that may or may not be true. Regardless, they slurp on it, drinking the drops of ego leaking from the crack of a broken delusion. Kohaku and him were no exceptions. Korekiyo was entitled to be his sister’s shadow, her knight in shining armor, who would come to her rescue in the world of tribulation. Kohaku, on the other hand, lingered on her past image of a beautiful, absolutely adored and loved by everyone, that she deserved to have the world by its tail, and the right to command anyone she felt entitled to. Both were deadly, and together, they mixed into a lethal concoction._

_Conferences often ended with an interview with both Kohaku and Korekiyo. Those who were awed by the brilliance of the siblings would make an endeavour to make friends with them, though for most of the time, they did not succeed. None, except for a girl with flowers in her hair._

_She was a kind one, the type that could melt your heart just by her meek demeanour. While Korekiyo did not really bother, his sister was fawning over her. Every once in a while, Kohaku would muse at her cute, shining reddish-brown hair that held the austerity of Mother Earth and her saccharine chocolate eyes. She often invited the little girl over to their house, and the naive girl, who fell head over heel for the pair, was all too eager to agree._

_If only that was the end of the story. One day, the girl of sweet auburn colour came to their house for some tea and gossip. Korekiyo was excused to fetch hot water for the two girls to chit chat. Birds were singing a melodious song in the canopy of the plum tree, until the song cut off abruptly. Silence, like a life being snuffed out of existence. Sensing something uncanny, young Korekiyo hurried to the guest room, where her majesty was residing. As he slid the old-fashioned Japanese door open, a gust of tremor greeted him._

_Slumped on the table, was the girl of sun-burn color, except the warm aura exuded from her had completely vanished, leaving only a motionless husk. His sister was giggling softly, in a familiar elegance when she was about to order him something cruel._

_“Korekiyo, Korekiyo! Come and see. I have just collected my first friend!”_

_She curled her fingeres inwards, hooking at the invisible air. “Will you be kind and help our guest into the altar room? My sanctuary? Accommodate her as best as you can. The tools are in there, you know what to do.” She smiles gleefully, yet at the same time deviously._

_But Korekiyo was going to abide. Because the Kohaku in front of him was still his beloved sister, and he had vowed for her sake, no matter what, didn’t he? As her beloved brother._

_Because if not, then who is he?_

_With a swallowed bit of hesitation, Korekiyo maneuvered their new ‘friend’ into the arctic. He mumbled a small apology, one that Kohaku would never have the chance to catch._

_…_

_On the first day, the girl was frightened to her core, understandably. When Kohaku proposed her to be ‘friend’, for the second time, she added. “Yes” the girl had responded, her skin drenched in sweat and tremor. “No, no, that’s not sincere enough”, came the vitriolic assessment. The day passed with a few scars opened on her pristine skin._

_On the second day, her reaction was less frantic, but no less loathsome. The second proposal was shut down. More cuts and gaps in her skin appeared, seeping red into the cracks of the wooden floor._

_On the third day, the girl no longer responded to the proposal, nor any provocation from her tormentor(s). There were holes on her body now._

_On the fourth day…_

_On the fifth day…_

_On the twelfth day, an unrecognizable carcass lay on a red, slippery coating. Korekiyo stared at the mess, wondered how many more until it was his turn. Perhaps it would be right then, perhaps long long later, either way, he knew he had the end of the rope in hand, and sooner or later, the spark burning it would reach him._

_He turns to the entrance where his beloved sister was at, slinging a metal object in hand. A handcuff. She trapped one of his wrists in one cuff and the leg of the altar in the other._

_“Don’t you think that I’m oblivious, my little brother. I have sight through the turmoil in you when we are in the progress of recruiting my friend. I know what kind of deluded, ugly thoughts are flowing through your head. Don’t ever aspire for them to come true, Korekiyo. You will never betray me.”_

_The shine of the blade threw back the golden color of his eyes._

_"Because you have behaved inappropriately, Korekiyo, I'll have to bend you back to the correct path. Come on, little brother, you have done wrong. So apologize."_

_The words clumped in his throat._

_"Apologize! Korekiyo! Apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize,..."_

_"I apol…"_

_"Apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize, apologize,..."_

_"I apologize, apologize, apologize,...”_

_…_

“Shuichi has just contacted me”, Himiko says between huffs of breath, “Kaito found Kaede’s location, he is on the way of rescuing her!”

The news rang in his ears like a bell. Brief relief springs over his chest until an uneasy feeling settles. 

The three girls run ahead, eager to come to the rescue. Korekiyo trails after them, forebode invades his senses. 

He traces the bulge of an object hidden in his baggy sleeve.

…

_Despite knowing she was in the wrong, that lives are being sacrificed for a deluged mania, Korekiyo prolonged his grave sins. Because no matter what, Kohaku was his most beloved, and the only one who would ever hope to love him back._

_Until they came around and showed him the side of humanity that he had only heard in storybooks._

_That's why, he'll do it._

_For her sake, and for theirs, too._

…

"Oh, Korekiyo, what a pleasant surprise!", she giggles gleefully, "I was kidding. In fact, I have been expecting you."

She takes a few steps forward, "You must have been so delighted to venture out in the bright light like this."

"Sister…"

  
"Yes, I am your sister, the one you swore your life to. You must be so happy with all your new wonderful friends here, while laughing at _your sister_ who has none. Say, how do you feel, _TRAITOR._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied body dysphoria, mental and physical abuse, self-mutilation, torture.
> 
> \-----
> 
> Additionally, yes, twin Ultimates are not common, but it certainly is a thing.


	9. The end of a wandering mirage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then everything turns to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: a whole lot of creepiness, violence, a character get seriously injured and implied reliving of trauma.
> 
> \---
> 
> This is the longest chapter yet, and damn did it took a long time to write. I planned to only post a new chapter when I finish writing another one, but the one i'm on has been procrastinating for a whole month... so, here we are :DDD.
> 
> This is the climax. Two more chapters until arc 1 concludes, yay \TvT/. but the next update will be a long way,...so to whoever is following this descending holy dumpster *whisper*, sorry... and thank you uwu.
> 
> Sep 9: T.T i'm sorry, new chapter is still half way done and i got stuck with deadlines again. Don't worry, this fic is still in progress, i'll try to update by next month IwI, thank you for your patience!
> 
> Oct 2:... i'm actually feeling guilty for not updating :D

Today starts wonderfully. Despite being interrupted by Miu earlier that morning, Kaede still greets the day with lavish enthusiasm and vigour. 

Yet, that jubilance abates when Kirumi ominously announces to all of them during breakfast.

“Attention, everyone. I have something important to say.” She spends a cursory glance over the room. “Where’re Kaito and Miu?”

“Miu is still sleeping in her room”, Kaede perks up.

“I haven’t seen Kaito this morning. I think he left early.” Shuichi adds, tugging at the brim of his hat. He looks nervous. 

“I see”, with a sigh, the maid cups her hands dutifully. “Then I suppose we fill them in later. I’ll take the responsibility of informing those two later. Now, this is important, everyone, so please pay attention...”

She proceeds to recite the event of what happened to Rantarou and Shuchi’s venture the night before, highlighting the fact that there are indeed forces coming after the later. The boy shakens, staring at his plate of food. Under the hat Kaede can spot a hint of dark bags beneath his eyelids. The others seem taken aback as well, sparing a few glances at Shuichi, before focusing on Kirumi’ eloquent instructions. 

“... As such, I advise that all of you should pay extra caution when venturing outside. Limit your time going out and make yourself as inconspicuous as possible when you do so.” She turns to the magician and the Aikido Master. “My apologies, but it appears more favourable that you two cut down your performance schedule.”

“Nyeh, what a pain…” She says dejectedly, forming a pout on her lips. “But preparing is kind of a pain, too. So I guess I’m not opposed to it.” A is hand brought up to cover her yawn. Her partner, on the other, is visibly more upset. “Tenko sees… Tenko likes performing with Himiko, but she won’t risk safety for it.”

“Thank you for your understanding. However, I’m not saying that you must forgo it entirely, just less frequent. And Rantarou...” She looks at the youth with green hair. “Are you sure it’s safe for you to carry on with your shift? The perpetrator may have registered your appearance…”

“Oh, no no. It was very dark back there, I could only recognize DICE by their voice, no doubt the perpetrator can’t see me clearly either.”

“I see. Still, be careful, we can’t be sure if they have heard your voice as well.” With a clap of her hands, Kirumi concludes, “Then that will be the end of the discussion. You’re free to leave now.”

The group disperse after a moment. Shuichi stays in his seat, his plate half-eaten. 

“Hey, Shuichi.” The pianist calls out and the said boy whips his head in her direction. “You okay?”

“Oh...um, I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

“Hmm… you don’t look that fine, like, there’s bags under your eyes. It’s because of last night, isn’t it?”

“...Yes.”

The boy keeps silent for a short moment to gather his calm. His gaze travels downwards to where Ryoma’s cat is rubbing against his pants. He scoops her up to his lap, where the feline accommodates herself easily. 

“I’m sorry, Kaede. It’s just that… this whole situation is too bizarre for me. I’m still having hard times wrapping my head around all of this… and now… something dangerous is after me.” His fingers trace through the delicate black and white cuticles.

“I see. It must be hard for you.” Her hand placed on his, rest on top of the cat’s fur. “Don’t worry. We will ensure that your safety is guaranteed. I know I have repeated this line countless times before, but I’m not ashamed of saying it again. You are one of us, and we will not let anyone lay a hand on you.”

Her determined eyes search in his, through the fabric layer of the hat and his long dark bangs. Greyish-gold meets amethyst for a short moment, before the curtain of his eyelashes draw down. The boy heaves a long breath and keeps it in his lungs, eyebrows slightly knitted together.

“Do you think I’m being an inconvenience?”

The base of her heart sinks. Her facial muscles stiffen in place, unknowing whether to twist in distraught or stretch in surprise. 

“What? Hell no! Who gave you that idea?”  
  


“No one, actually. I’m just pondering that… since I came here, I haven’t been able to do much. I cannot go outside, cannot help with the deliveries, my little detective skill is pretty much useless... the most I have done is simply laying around and bothering you from time to time. And now it comes down to this. Whoever responsible is having their sleuth sniffing out my whereabouts, and who knows if it might expose your hideouts. It even affects Himiko’s schedule, and we all know stage performing is the only thing she is enthusiastic about.”

“Nuh-uh! Shut up! You are being a dumbass for even thinking about it that way. Look. We are keeping you here, right? And we are doing it out of our own volition! Did anyone say that you are being a trouble? No! Did anyone complain when your well-being is at risk? Also no. We want you here, Shuichi, and let me tell you, the goofuses in this house would have kicked you out from day one if they weren’t comfortable with you.” She pauses, taking time to gauge his reactions. “We want you here because all of us have experienced similar things, Shuichi. We understand the world is turning its back on you at the moment, and as your respectable veteran seniors in sufferings, it’s our responsibility to help you out of this mess. Do you plan on leaving even knowing that?”

The boy’s chin tugged downwards, his lips pressed tight pensively. He blinks, before smiling warmly. 

“No.” He chuckles, an odd behaviour for the usual passive guy, but a welcoming one. “Haha, I guess you are right. You lots do seem to be that blase afterall.”

“Be careful where you are poking at, detective! That’s our national pride!”

“I see, I see. I’m glad to be part of you then. But…” he taps on his lower lip, ““the goofuses in this house would have kicked [me] out from day one”?”

“Oh! About that, we’re a bit suspicious of you at the beginning, sorry about that, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, it’s not that we would just leave you out on the street like a poodle. We are not that heartless, jeez.”

“Then, what would you have done?”

The corner of her lips creep up, her cheeks crease crankily. 

“Well, what else? Since you have been to our secret base, we couldn’t let you roam freely.” She leans in, blowing words into his ears. “Our dearest Shuichi would have been locked in a dark, underground prison, with your arms and legs chained to the ground, rats being your friends, and nobody would hear your cry for help…”

She feels his posture shudders under her breath, the complexion of his face pallids a few shades.

“Pffft… Hahaha! Learn to take a joke, dummy!” Kaede punches playfully at his side. “We would have just moved you to another apartment where we can monitor you, jeez!”

“Isn't that the same thing?”

"Hey! It's for your own good!"

She flicks his nose. The boy yelps in surprise and jerks back, causing M’match to stir. He blushes at his own reactions and turns away. Man, this guy is so easy to tease. 

“Yep, yep. Since the area around here is not so populated, we would find a place with no problems. Plus, DICE can help us as our board advisor, too!”

“You really are fond of that group, aren’t you?”

“Of course! They are the reason why our group is even here! Even some of the members find their way to us through them. If the Boss guy weren’t so insistent, I would say they are like an extension of our group! Or the other way around. Doesn’t make much difference, though.”

Shuichi hums agreeably, nodding along as he takes in the new information. 

“By the way, Shuichi, you are free this afternoon, right?”  
  


“Yes, I’m free every afternoon actually.”

“Cool! Cuz I wanna show you this piece. You would love it!”

At this, the boy perks up, his face brightens. “Thank you, Kaede. I appreciate it.”

She grins, tapping her feet on the ground in a joyous rhythm. Her head bobs to the sides excitedly. Her indexes join with the little mental orchestra. Shuichi sits beside her in placid, his hand still patting the cat.

“Sorry for the disruption”, comes an unexpected deep voice, “but I want my cat back.”

The pair turn around to see Ryoma perching behind them. Despite his height, the guy still manages to look sturdy and mature. M’match lets out a “meow” and leaps into his arms. The small feline purrs as the guy coos it. Ryoma leisurely trudges to his seat in the table, exchanging a few words with the maid as she emerges.

“Kaede”, she greets, “it seems that we are running low on supply. Would you mind getting these items for us?” She hands her a small list. Kaede scans through the piece of paper. 

“Alright! This errand girl is on a mission!”

“I certainly do not mean it like that, though you can call it whatever you see fit.” At this Kaede beams. “Nevertheless, please stay alert out there. Your safety is the utmost importance. Also, if you see Kaito out there, please inform him of the briefing this morning.”

“Leave it to me!” The pianist hoists up to get ready. “So, this afternoon?” 

“Sure.”

“Okay, see you then!”

Kaede waves the boy goodbye and heads towards her room. As she does so, her gaze catches a glimpse of strawberry-blond retreating up stairs.

…

The clinks and clanks reverberate in the room, with her good ears, Kaede doesn’t need to open the door to know Miu is working on something. Which is not at all surprising. Miu values productivity. A year in the same room with Miu tells her that the inventor would not go through a day without a bit of progress on her projects. Doing it for a living is one thing, her roommate’s affinity with creating and constructing burns from her passion for gadgets and apparatus, something the Kaede admires and adores. Nevertheless, she can tell Miu is in a bad mood, so it’s her turn to cheer the girl up.

The plan goes like this. Kaede would ask Miu out for shopping and stuff, they grab some of Miu’s favourite snacks, and the other girl would go back to being the usual eccentric Miu with a ‘intriguing’ sense of humour. Works all the time.

She knocks on the door.

…

‘Miu, you dumbass!’ Kaede huffs indignantly as she leaves the house by herself. Her legs lead her out of the empty alley into the busy street. 

In the midst of the breezing autumn, the layers of auburn canopy scatter across the dull grey sky. Pedestrians come and go, fleeting on the paths. As the traffic light bleeds green, Kaede swiftly marches across the zebra crossing. She has the luxury of time on her hand, there is no need to hurry. As long as she is prudent in the little excursion, there would be no problem. So Keade procrastinates for the sake of strolling, admiring the scene of the vicinity.

Miu may have been irksome for some reason, but it’s nothing new from her. Kaede was a little mad, sure, but it’s nothing she would hold against her roommate. The pianist thinks as her feet dance on the leaf-covered ground. Leaves rustle beneath her. She sings a familiar melody, a memoir of older times. 

_“Sol Sol Re, Mi Re Mi Re…”_

_“Come on, Kaede! It’s easy. Just these few notes…”_

_“Ahh…. slow down, Kao-nee! I can’t catch up!”_

_“Is that all you got? Kaede still has a long way, then.” Kaoru’s thin lips quirked a small smile. “Okay, I’ll repeat, so follow carefully...”_

“...” 

She kicks an unwitting rock at her toes. The thing flies a mere few inches away, bounces a few satisfying skips. She watches as it finally settles down, laying dead by a tree stump. 

“Kukuku, little bird, something seems to be on your mind.”

As her head snaps to the source of the voice, she spots a familiar head of long, silky, black hair, adorned with a mask with flowery patterns on it. The figure is tall, lanky, yet does not lack grace in any way. A dress with a pattern that matches the mask frilling along each elegant sway. The person presents themself as a red daisy pitching in the sea of red autumn leaves. 

Kaede almost doesn’t recognize her own housemate. 

“Korekiyo! Jeez, give your ol’ friend a little warning next time.”

Korekiyo appears slightly stumped, but he quickly regains his normal carefree posture. A hand brought up to the side of his cheek, cuddling the fabric of the mask. 

“My, my, then you should pay more attention next time, dear friend. It would be dangerous if someone suddenly sneaks up on you.”

A little odd, Kaede remarks, yet it isn't the weirdest thing the guy has done. Afterall, he is regarded as an… extraordinary individual, even in a group as colorful as theirs. One that can rival Tenko, or even Miu in terms of eccentricity. 

“I don’t know you cross-dress, Korekiyo.” She comments cheerfully. “But that dress looks really good on you. I would have thought you were a beautiful lady if I didn’t know any better.”

“Oh, your compliments flatter me, my friend.” He says, raising his index finger wistfully. “Indeed, this is simply a humble hobby of mine, one that I’m not ashamed of. Afterall, its time dates back to prehistory and has played a part in mythology, literature, and cultures. Many have crossdressed due to their upbringing, though the majority solely did so by preference. Some consider it a form of art. Men may crossdress to show off their feminine sides. While women can go against their assigned dress code to express their masculinity. Although crossdressing does not completely allude to one's sexual orientation, there is still a hint of pride in freedom of sexual appeals and subverting conventional expectations. Though I must note that it itself can be considered a norm in the modern days. Nevertheless, one cannot deny that the magnificence of humanity lies in such attributes, as humans are creatures with such a strong sense of identity.” The man braces himself. “Ahh… Humanity...truly is… beautiful!”

Kaede stares wide eyed, mouth gaps slightly.

“But sophistication aside, I only crossdress because I find it fun, nothing much deeper.”

“Oh… I see. You really are passionate about such topics, aren’t you?”

“Well, what can I say. I’m the Ultimate Anthropologist after all. It’s only natural that I’m into such fits.”

The girl hums agreeably. True, Korekiyo rambles about history and cultures frequently. Yet, there is something not in place, from the little lilt in his voice and the way he carries himself too daintily. And the luscious(?) looks he sporadically spares here and there(she’s just imagining it, right?).

They both take an idle walk along the path covered in golden sheets. 

He tells her about the stories of autumn, when vicious winter would come to claim the cold, hard earth, before it is conquered by spring, the emissary of life. Or how autumn is considered the loneliest season of all, because unlike the prosperous spring, the jubilant summer and the infamous winter, autumn simply exists, merely a benchmark of the end of juveniles and the start of a cold, chilly finale. Her mind suddenly drifts to the image of a certain boy with greyish-gold eyes. Wasn’t he born in autumn? Because the day they first met was his 18th birthday, the boy was just officially an adult. Born at the beginning of the end, huh? She wonders if it actually means anything. 

For one more time, the anthropologist’s gaze is burning hole into her. The pianist can’t help but be nervous. _‘Him staring has not bothered me before, then why now?’_

“That look, I know it. You are thinking of someone you are fond of, aren’t you?”

“Eh?” Her cheeks spontaneously heat up. “What makes you say so?”

“I know a look of fondness when I see one, dear friend. I’m quite familiar with it myself.” The anthropologist directs a finger at her. “Your eyes look distant and dreamy. You are smiling, too. Honestly, just typical symptoms of girls in love. But oh, don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t have to be romantic or anything. Love is a broad concept, taking a liking for someone is just as significant as falling in love. ”

Okay, now that leaves her wondering. Is she fond of Shuichi? Of course she is! The group has taken him under their wings, and since then, Shuichi has expressed nothing but amicability. But deep down, she questions herself. Is there all there is to it? Kaede recalls of the way the boy has shrunk under her playful mirth, the ways his eyes silently taking in details and hand tracing under his chin that she notices from a few rare moments. And she wonders why he is the only one that Kaede even pulls such stunts on. Probably because of his mild demeanor that brings a fresh breath in the midst of a bunch of colorful characters. A small, plain piece jutting out of a flamboyant canvas, yet it still seems like that’s not all there is to it. Probably that is what draws her in, to unveil the layers hidden under the surface...

“There is that look, again.” Her companion sighes, a hint of annoyance under his tone. “You are making me jealous, my friend. If only someone would look at me the way you are looking at the empty space in front of you. Please, do pay attention to your company. Even when I know you may think I’m a weirdo, it still hurts to be given a cold shoulder.”

“Oh! Sorry for spacing out. I didn’t mean to ignore you, honest!” She grabs his hand as proof. “Don’t worry, Korekiyo! People are fond of you, too! They may not be open about it, but everyone accepts you just the way you are!” A grin blooms on her lips. “Tenko gets along with you, she even apologized after throwing you out that one time! Gonta likes your appreciation for bugs. You two promised to catch fireflies when you have the chance to, didn’t you? And then there’s Angie! She’s planning a secret gift for you, too… but ah, don’t tell her that you know, or she’ll have my head...”

His eyes narrow, as if contemplating. His huffs are... irregular. Did she say something wrong again? Korekiyo is perceptive, he must have been aware of this, right?

“Oh, I’m not at all worried, simply in awe at the extent of inclusion you’re all so generous to extend to me. Years of observing teaches me that people aren’t always so lenient.”

“Oh, that makes sense. You do spend a lot of time watching people, don’t you? Haha, you’re even proud of that schtick yourself.”

The anthropologist does not react openly to that statement. No trademark “kukuku”, no ranting about his affinity for observing people,... Just there, staring, blankly, like a statue. 

Uncomfortable, she attempts to divert the topic.

“Um, so, it has been a while, don’t you think? You wanna eat out? I’m kinda starving right now.”

“Affirmative, I’m a tad hungry myself. Let us grab something to snack. My treat.”

“Haha! Great!” She whips out her phone. “Lemme text Mom first so she wouldn’t fuss over it when I go back late.” Quickly, she types in the messages and sends. Tittering, the girl turns to her companion. “You know, Korekiyo, us hanging out like this right after Mom’s warning this morning. Sounds like a secret rendezvous, am I right?”

“Indeed. That makes our bonding time even more memorable and special." He giggles. "We would be best friends in no time."

The pianist notices, another thing out of ordinary. The anthropologist has never made an advance such as this before. The most he would do is standing in the corner, observing the scene unfolds and occasionally throws in an innocuous but deep remark. The guy prefers to stay in the dark, even when the chirpy social butterfly and co. yank him out like a bull with a rope on its neck. He just won't budge. Then here is the same guy, same level of cryptidness, yet for some reason is way more forward than the Korekiyo she knows and is accustomed with. But she's probably just imagining things, right? 

Her thumb hovers above the message, unsure whether it is a good idea. There should be no problem, right? They are housemates and have been acquainted for nearly a year. Trust spells itself out during that period. Her safety is guaranteed. 

She presses send.

…

Korekiyo returns with two hot, steamy buns in his hands. The snack is perfect to whoosh out the chilly air of near winter. Unfortunately, Kaede’s mind is too occupied with the jittery feeling sitting in her stomach. It’s telling her. 

_‘This is all wrong.’_

“Anybody home?” He waves the bun in front of her face. “Special delivery!”

“Ah! Sorry, just spacing out a little.”

“You space out a lot”, the guy mumbles, “but it’s alright. That in itself is an adorable trait.”

He promptly settles besides her, taking a bite. Leisurely munching, the guy gestures at the bun in her hand. Recognizing her own mistake, Kaede quickly follows suit. The sweet flavour of red bean and cream melts in her mouth, lingering on her taste buds. With a satisfying squeak, she chirps. 

“This is delicious! Why didn’t I know about this vendor before?”

“Perhaps you should try travelling around more. Travelling is a refined delight. It will teach you a lot throughout the journey and enrich your soul. Surely a better option than cooping up in the house.”

“Uh, okay. I’ll try that sometimes.”

Kaede goes back to nibbling the bun in her hand, assessing what about the person next to her puts her off so much. He just mentioned that she should go out more. 

_‘Didn’t Kirumi just alerted us about staying cautious being outdoors?’_

And one more glaring point. Not once in their conversation had this person mentioned her name. 

Red bean flavour aside, the bun tastes a little weird.

The hair behind her neck raises. The other person smirks beneath their mask. 

“Who… are… you?”

“Oh, my sweet little girl. Doesn’t mom warn you against going off with strangers?” The person snickers. Their shoulders shake with its rhythm. “But tough luck. I probably look just like someone you know, don’t I? Your _dear friend_.”

As more and more malice pronounces its poison in the person’s monologue, Kaede’s consciousness melts away. The outlines of her vision darkens. She feels her own body falling. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll treat you _right_. Just like a dear friend supposes to.”

…

When Kaede wakes up, she flinches as the blinding light blends into her irises. 

The ground beneath her head is solid, its rough surface scratches against her scalp as she stirs. Instinctively, one of her hands moves to support the weight, and Kaede realizes she is all tied up. 

‘A red ornate rope?’ And it’s pretty tight, too. Damn, whoever the bastard keeping her here has no consideration for her comfort, huh. Leaving her sleeping on the dirty ground, and then binding her with a rope. “Just like a dear friend supposes to” my ass, not that she even minisculely buys into that. They are some crackpot mania who is a genuine, one-hundred-percent creep, with no redeeming quality, and apparently into bondage. ‘Miu would probably enjoy this’, she thinks dryly. Joke aside, she needs to assess the situation she has been thrown into. 

The room, or more likely, the storage was rather empty(and stenched for some reasons). There is not much being stalled in there, except for a cupboard and a few shiny objects far in the corner that the pianist can’t make out, and… a lot of plastic bags. Suspiciously lots of plastic bags. What even is this place?

The girl sways around a few more times and quickly devises a plan to escape. First, she would need to get rid of the rope on her ankles, or her torso, whichever more convenient. Is there anything around that can work as a cutting tool?

“Clank.” The sound of footsteps closing up swiftly interupts her thought process, as the mysterious person scoops down to her eye level. 

She stares at them ferociously. Her eyes are so wide that she can feel her socket cracking open and veins bursting in the back of the eyeballs. Her mouth presses into a jerky grimace and her nostrils flare, to appear as intimidating as possible. And the bastard sneers. They has the _damn gut_ to sneer!

They pulls down the sickly flowery mask, revealing bloody-red lips. Their face would have been attractive, if not for the fact that this rascal just impersonated her friend and fucking kidnapped her. “What do you want? What do you want? What do you want?” chants furiously in her head and that is exactly what she spits(metaphorically) in their face.

“Nothing much, Kaha!” So much resembles Korekiyo, down to the damn voice. “I was just wondering… if we can be friends.” They says sultriously. “Initially, my plan was to befriend you slowly to gauge whether you are a worthy friend. And then you recognized me as _Korekiyo_ , my worthless, _filthy, pathetic_ excuse of a brother, and declared yourself as his friend. I rationed to myself, if you can make friends with that disgrace, a close friend, should I add, considering how you encourage him, then you must have an altruistic and forgiving quality. As such, I deem you have a wonderful personality and sure are worthy of being _my friend_.”

Kaede’s rage has yet to abate. This… person, even after taking their own brother’s identity, holds no respect nor appreciation for their own blood kin. What kind of sister or brother goes around and calls their sibling a “disgrace” and trample on them? 

Kaede remembers her first encounter with Korekiyo. The perturbed boy had been hand-cuffed to a pipeline and ordered to stay where he was. The frightened eyes he gave them, like a preyed on deer vanning at its about-to-be hunter... for goodness she never wanted anything that happened to him to happen to her sister. 

A fragment flashes through her mind, floating on top the searing white anger. _Golden strands matted with red, as the small hand feebly reached out to her._

Something in her fucking snaps. 

“Why so angry, my dear. What’s wrong? Ah, that’s right. How rude of me, proceeding to ranting without even introducing myself first. Pardon me, little bird.” They places a hand above the chest, a placating gesture, yet somehow is even more eerie and out of place. “My name is Kohaku Shinguji, Ultimate Anthropologist, though the later part is irrelevant. Now, please forgive my oversight, may I know what my little lady here is called?”

Her firing gaze never leaves the putrid face in front of her, a grimy reflection stolen from her friend. And it has not softened in the slightest. Kaede keeps her head straight, and glares directly into the pit of their pupils. 

“Take that for yourself and shove it up your own ass. I won’t be your friend, nor I will agree with your terms. I won’t give you the name, either, since it would just get tainted coming from your foul mouth.”

Kohaku's expression is static for a short moment, before twisting into a heinous sneer, one that is even more ugly, and dare she says, _terrifying_ , than the previous one. 

“You have some gut, little girl. It’s adorable, but I have my limits.” They snarls. “Know your place. Before I snuff that life out of you.” 

Kohaku strolls past her, to the corner of the storage, and picks up the shiny object. Kaede’s heart drops. 

They flings the machete up in the air, brandishing it like a token. 

“You are walking on eggshells, rat.” Cheeks pull up into a morbid smirk, cutting through the cheekbones. Eyes blow wide, swirling with dement and grisly elation. The bottomless cyclone that threatens to pull her in the pit of primal, raw, unadulterated fear. 

And at that moment, she knows. 

This maniac wouldn’t hesitate brutalizing her.

“I will sew that big mouth of yours, and put you in your place. I will skin you, boil you alive, sprinkle salt on your wound. I will chop you up into pieces, alive, to revel in your rueful screams and even when you apologize, I won’t stop. I will have you know: Kohaku Shinguji will not overlook disobedience and unruly young girls must be accordingly dealt with.”

Kohaku turns to her, cupping her cheeks in their disgusting, revolting hands.

“However,...I will reserve a second thought for you, my dear. Not a lot of girls have that opportunity. You better make up to me for that misbehaviour.”

…

The roller shutter closes up on her. Kohaku leaves, saying they are giving Kaede some time to think her decision over. As if she ever needs some, because the answer is still “no”. And in case she does say “yes”, it would be to throw off that damn nutcase and find a chance to escape.

The chill crawls down her spine. Even without being present, the (true) creep still manages to disturb her. Kaede considers herself a pretty intuitive person, whatever about to rain down can’t be good. The premonition has made itself pronounced, a sinking sensation. 

“If I want to return in one piece, I have to escape as soon as possible”, she mumbles.

Unfortunately, it's easier said than done. Even though freeing herself from the binding is the first priority, there aren’t many viable options for her, or at all. Silently, the girl curses her dumb luck. However, it’s not that she would just throw the towel and let the bastard get whatever they want. 

“Just you wait… I’ll punch in that fucker’s face. And spit on it, too.”

Wriggling her ankles tells the binding is very much secured, with “secured” here in a very, very, dupper heavily in a negative connotation. The bastard has some hands in tying people up. “All the more confirmation for them being into bondage”, the Miu in her head cackles. She wills it away. _‘Now it’s not the damn time!’_

She glances around once more, panicking. “There must be some way!”

That’s right, Kirumi sent her out for groceries. Her absence should arouse some suspicion by now. But, the message… “I’ll eat out with Korekiyo, no need to wait! ;)”. Dang it! She shouldn’t have sent that message. They probably won’t look for her if that’s the case. And, oh, Korekiyo. They will swarm on him when they don’t see her with him. Okay, that’s good. That means she may still have a chance… But that would cast doubt on him! Ahhhh!! This situation! Will she be able to get home at this rate, with a maniac holding her captive like this? And Shuichi would be really disappointed, too! She promised to play piano with him this afternoon!

Suddenly, the noise of scratching sounds on the other side of the roller shutter. Her heart stops right at that moment. _‘Dammit, has that fucker back already?’_

The shutter slowly lifts up. A black silhouette stands against the bright light from outside. Kaede squints to make out the figure.

White uniform, checkered scarf, and… a clown mask.

_‘Wha…? Why is she here?’_

The girl, from DICE, with brown braid and short stature, is at the entrance of the place, hand holding two thin wires that perhaps was used for lock-picking. 

She hurries to Kaede’s side and pulls out a blunt dagger. Rather rushed, she works on the rope on her torso. 

At first, the girl attempts to unknot the rope, but finds it too firm to pull out with her strength. She resolves to cutting it instead. The thing, just as bulky as it looks, does not give away easily. For a moment feels like hours, but probably only a few minutes have passed, only the outer layers of the rope are damaged. The rest is obnoxiously still holding on, refusing to let its victim go. 

Kaede shifts a bit to give the DICE girl more space to work, angst and apprehension filling her stomach. She listens to the sifting and snapping of each fibre being severed, waiting for the release of blocked off blood flow and taunted muscles, looking forward to be able to move her arms but remaining cautious through and through.

And, it proves to be a bright decision. 

_"Clank. Clank."_ The dull sound of boots thrumming against the concrete. Out of instinct, Kaede feels her muscles tensing up. 

" _Move!_ ", she whispers, but the sense of urgency does not mitigate one bit. "They are here! You gotta hide somewhere!"

The girl halts at once. She swiftly ups on her feet and disappears in a cupboard nearby. 

The pianist sighs as they rope tighten on her skin once more but her mind quickly switches to her most guarded mode. She can only pray the maniac wouldn't go near where the DICE member is sheltering in, nor kill her before she can be freed, and most importantly not both.

As the shutter rolls up with a deafening screech, the flowery-cladded figure closes up the distance. Kaede faces off their way, refusing to acknowledge her captor. Out of her peripheral vision, pale, glistening skin is stroking her cheek. With herself all tied up and incapable of retaliation, the girl feels extremely violated. So she does the only thing she can. Petrified in place and hopes that this repugnant harassment would cease at some point.

The hand forcefully grabs her chin and tilts her head to face them.

Putrid gold fills her sight, like potent poison from a cobra, clogging up her veins and sucking the life out of her. They wears a sickly sweet smile.

"Have you thought through carefully, my dear? I hope you make the right decision."

Kaede eyes the perpetrator before her, and blossoms a honey-dripping smile. The bastard wants a 'friend', then she'll give them one. Bile rises up her throat, but she wills it down. She is going to regret this, but that's a concern for later. All for a chance of getting the hell out of here.

"I have…", she uses the sweetest, meekest voice Kaede Akamatsu could muster, "I think… we can be friends, if you would like to…" and dazzles! One, two, three, say "cheese" for the camera! Anddddd "click!", magnificent! Kaede, great job! 

Fucking dammit she is going to throw up.

Kohaku's cheeks pull up beneath the mask, seemingly to buy it. The hand is back to fondling the other's face. 

"Of course! I would love to! True friends are honored to be honest!"

And they balls her hair up in a fist.

"You know, you're really cute! Trying to deceive me like that! And that smile, too! My heart even skipped a beat. Had that it been sincere, I would have accepted it without a second thought! But oh, sadly that's simply a poor attempt to catch me off-guard. Nice try, little girl. Fortunately, I can just rip those lips off you and keep it to myself, as a monument for this memorable transient."

Yes, Kaede is not naive enough to think it would actually work. She doubts this maniac even cares to make 'friends' at all, as twisted as it is, or knows the basic definition of "friends". The fucking sadist just want something to torture, to satisfy their blood-thirst, from what she gathers. Was it worth a try? Maybe. Because now she has done it, billowing rage beneath it all finally has an outlet to escape. Feral, unobstructable and spearheading. There's nothing holding it back. The bastard wants a sincere reaction, oh right. They will have a sincere reaction. Take this, you son of a bitch.

*Ptooey*

She spits on them. The punch will have to wait later. The saliva lands right on their unmasked, face, trailing down the pristine pale white skin.

"Then go _fuck_ yourself, you bird-shitted face." Voice laced with an amount of venom that can match the morbid pale yellow. "Then maybe someone will pity you enough to be your precious _friend._ "

Instinctively, the hand wipes at the fluid running down their cheek, leaving a smudge behind the trace. Ahh,... the layer of skin melts away, revealing red patches and blotchy dots.

Now it's her turn to sneer. Despite all the embellish endeavours and flowery dresses, lying beneath is still _a monster_ , figuratively, and now, literally.

"Ahh,... now you have done it. Now you have _ruined_ it!" Their face, blank slate morphs into raging fury. With vocal growing in volume, the demented one barks. "YOU DETESTABLE, INSOLENT RAT!!! YOU WILL PAY!"

A howly screech resounds. With the ferocity of a beast, the figure swings the machete upwards. Its shine reaches the grey ceiling above. 

"I will teach you, I will teach you, I will teach you,... I WILL TEACH YOU MANNER!"

The cupboard doors fly open. And as the blade strikes down, shiny sprays of red spurt in the half-dark room.

Kaede's eyes widen in horror.

"NOO!!"

White uniform soaked in crimson. The body before her spasms in pain, holding the freshly opened gap between her spine and shoulder blade. The girl gasps and collapses on the cold floor.

While Kaede is frantically calling for the terribly wounded, Kohaku is at loss of words.

"Kehe…"

The pianist spares them a glare.

" _What?_ "

"Kehehehehehehehe... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."

True chilly, horrendous realization runs through her short-circuited brain. She knew they had no qualms hurting her,... but to the extent of butchering… 

The stench in the room intensifies. Thick, horrid, rotten iron. She realizes it's from the spilling blood. It is the same smell…

Oh fuck. _Oh fuck._

The _fucking_ fanatic doubles down, their own spine cracks in half as their upper body bobs left and right, front and back. 

"Ahhhh… truly beautiful! So beautiful, beautiful, the power of human's friendship… to sacrifice their own life for another's… This splendor, happening before my own two eyes. Kehehe, so it's real, it's real afterall!!!"

Kaede glances between the bleeding out girl and the fanatic spewing nonsensical rants about friendship. This is sick. If she is feeling sick before this, then now her stomach is flipping itself inside out. What true hideous, ugly side of humanity.

"You are _disgusting._ "

"Hoho, you should not say that to a friend." Kohaku says, strangely pleasant, contrary to the previous outburst.

"You are _not_ my friend. Lives are not something you can just trample on. You… kill people, don't you? For your 'friends' or whatever bullshit you are spouting. Disgusting… you're scum, the worst kind…"

"Oh? But you were awfully excited when you first saw me, didn't you? Because you thought I was Korekiyo?"

"He's different. He's one of us." She replies without hesitation.

Kohaku laughs their head off, as if they just heard the funniest joke of the century.

"So he's your friend? You said people like me are scums, yet, after all he has done, and you still see him as a friend?"

"What... are you talking about?"

"Come on! Don't be so naive, little girl. You think your dear, sweet Korekiyo is as innocent as he seems? He's my brother. We are _made_ to be the same person! _We stuck together since our earliest stage of formation._ You think I can get away without him noticing?"

"Huh?"

"Haha, so you haven't considered it, have you?" They sniggers, triumph in victory. "Let me spell it out for you. Word by word. For it to sink in that pretty head of yours. Korekiyo knows. And he let me do whatever I want. In fact, he even helped me more than occasionally. Almost every single one of them before his disappearance had his hand in it. That disgrace is just as much as filthy as I am, according to your words, my dear."

They scoots close to Kaede, faces an inch apart. 

"Will you accept that murderer as your friend?"

Her thoughts go static. Korekiyo knows. Korekiyo is an accomplice. He has a sibling who looks just like him and is a murderer and kept silent about it. His silence puts her in danger. And another of their precious associates in danger. 

She eyes the girl lying on the concrete, blood pooling beneath her.

Kohaku follows.

"Ah, what a day. Getting to know such an interesting friend, then get to witness this noble display of friendship."

They removes the rope on her ankles with ease and flips the bleeding girl on her back.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"Aww, worried for your little friend here, aren't you? Fret not. She is today’s special guest. I’ll give her the best hospitality. Of course, you are invited, too, deary!”

They ties the rope around the girl’s wrist, aggravating the nasty wound on her shoulder. 

“Hrghk!” The girl shrieks in pain. The pianist winced at the mere sound. 

“You fucker… she’s injured…”

“Yes, I can make that observation for myself. Unfortunately, I can’t take any risks. Don’t worry, her wound would be treated soon enough. I just need to go fetch some supplies… and some pastries on the way for our little welcome party, kuhu!” They jeers. Their bloody fingers swipe across the spit-covered cheek, taking some make-up powder along the way. 

And fucking licks it. 

“Oh, and thanks for the present, little girl! I’ll make sure to return you something equally special~”

And with that, the menace disappears once more behind the locked shutter. 

Kaede wastes no seconds to tend to the bleeding girl. But no matter how desperate she is, what can she do? 

“H-hey! Hold on! Stay with me, okay. I won’t let you go so easily!”

With her knees, now freed, Kaede props the girl up with utter care. She tries her best to help the girl in white(now red) lean on the wall. That way, the bleeding would alleviate. However, that wouldn’t help much. Immediate medical attention is still utmostly, and urgently needed. 

“You can still hear me, right. Come on, don’t do much, just a small sound would work.”

Silence. Except for heavy breathing. Gasping, huffing, panting,... Puffs and little hitches of breath, desperately clinging on the flickering of life. Heart beats are never more haste, yet still getting weaker and weaker… Eyes, exposed when the mask was knocked after the blow, are dull and glossy...

“Oi… you don’t have to do anything much, just stay awake for me! Okay? Please!”

“So...rry…”

“Eh?”

“Sorry… Kaede… Yuuki… is weak… Yuuki can’t do… anything. Then… and even now...”

“No, no, no that’s fine! You have done enough. More than enough,” Her name. Her name! “Yuuki. Now stop talking, preserve your strength!”

“Yuu...ki is not… like Yuuta-nii, … nor… Shinya… nor… Miki-nee…”

“It’s okay, Yuuki! You’re strong, you saved me! Stay with me, Yuuki!”

“Yuuki.. Is sorry…”

“Stop saying you’re sorry, you have done what you could! Yuuki, Yuuki, stay awake, Yuuki!”

“Kokich---i…-nii…”

“Yuuki!”

“...”

“Yuuki, come on! Yuuki, Yuuki!”

Medics say that to keep a person awake, or to help to pull one out of comatose, it is encouraged that families and friends talk to them, or call them by their name. 

“Yuuki! Yuuki!”

Kaede is no family with this girl. This is the first time she ever saw her face. 

“Yuuki!”

But she might as well be, because this courageous girl is willing to take the blow in her place, even if they know next to nothing about each other. 

“Yu…”

Medics aren’t always right.

“...”

“...”

_“Ka…e”_

Blood is still streaming down the gaping flesh and Kaede stares at it intently. As if if she stares hard enough her hibernating telekinesis power would help to stop the blood flow. But Kaede knows too well that a miracle will not happen. Because it has never happened. Not in the past. Not now. The scene with Kaede is no stranger. She has seen it countless times, in her recurring nightmares, ones that keep her groggy at night, and right before her two eyes. 

_Gold matted with red. Gold matted with red. Gold and red and gold and red and gold…_

Her legs kick up beneath her, her arms start to thrash aimlessly in the bound of the rope…

“Ah… ah…”

She has to get help. She has to get help somehow…

The stenching is even worse. Her mind is swirling. Broken, broken pieces,... she doesn’t realize herself is screaming. 

With stumps of fingers poking out of the binding, she frantically retrieves the worn dagger. Fumbling to get ahold of the rusty metal blade, not caring if the rust is scratching against her indexes. She has to get out. She has to get help. The red color is too intense. Red color is bleeding from her vision. She has to stop it somehow. Dammit, it’s everywhere.

No matter how hard she tries to sever the rope, it won’t budge. Then in a panic frenzy she would drop the knife, and has to pick up the process from start. 

*Shrrrkkk, shrrrkkk*

_‘Come on… come on!’_

*Shrrrkkk, shrrkk, shrkkk…*

*Shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shr, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shr, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk, shrk,...*

Nothing works. 

“Argghhh!! Snap, just fucking SNAP already, this fucking PIECE OF TRASH!! YUUKI, YUUKII!”

“...”

“Aaaaaaa…”

Arms tied, Kaede springs up from her sitting position. If trying to cut rope won’t work, she’ll have to get help from outside. Is there anyone out there? Please let someone be out there. All she cares about is to get the girl the hell out of here. 

She shouts at the top of her voice. Throat hurts from all the crying and wheezing, but that’s hardly the problem at hand. 

“Anyone there? ANYONE THERE, PLEASE ANSWER!”

“ANYONE? PLEASE, PLEASE. SOMEONE IS TERRIBLY HURT IS SHE NEEDS HELP!”

“PLEASE!”

No answers.

The pianist quietly retreated back to the very back of the storage, and sprints straight for the shutter. 

*BANG!* thunders throughout the hollow space. Her ankle hurts. She pays it no mind. 

The shutter shakes violently, but still not giving out. Kaede attempts at kicking it a few more times, each time more lividly. Still the result amounts to almost nothing. She keeps on. If even this does not work… then what else can she do?

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* * BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*...

*BANG!*

*Bang.*

“SOMEOne… _Please_ …*sob*... anybody…”

Her head drops against the shutter, exhausted. 

Nothing. Nothing would come out of this. Yuuki is bleeding out. Soon enough it would be too late. Even if Kohaku claims to treat her afterwards, she afraids it would be too late. Hardly anyone can survive that amount of blood loss. It’s hopeless… there’s nothing she can do now.

“I’m sorry, Yuuki, I’m sorry, I can’t do a thing…”

She cries, for the loss of a life she hardly knows, but still holds dear. The girl would soon leave this world. And she would follow after. Their fate has been set in stone. This is it. This is the end. 

However, is it her right to give up right now? Is it the correct option to just hands up and leave everything to destiny, as twisted as it is? 

_‘No. I won’t give up. Not yet. Not this early!’_

She looks at the blood-soaked girl, unresponsive, but her chest is rising and lowering in an erratic rhythm. She’s still alive! As long as she is, there’s still _hope_!

“Someone! PLEASE! Help us!” She continues her exasperated effort in her raspy voice. “Please! We are here! Answer us!”

Still nothing. 

“Please answer! Help!”

Nothing.

“Anyone! Please! We need help!”

...Light footsteps approach. Kaede perks up. It’s very faint, she may as well have imagined it, but her ears have never failed her before. 

“We are here! We are here! Help us!”, she yells, hoping it would pass the shutter and reach whoever outside. 

Thumping sounds of footwears are getting louder. They are heading towards this way! A pair of them, actually! And it’s not Kohaku’s clanking boots, either!

“Yes! Please, we are here!”, she cries in relief. They can be saved! They can survive!

“You are trapped?”, a girly voice rings from the other side of the shutter.

“Yes, yes! We are kidnapped. The other is badly hurt, please help!”

No response for a whole second. In a moment Kaede thinks it would be over. Then…

“Stay back. I will hack the door.”

Kaede takes a few steps backwards, and a good portion of the shutter caves in. Still not enough to break the thing, but definitely will destroy it with a few more attempts. And true so, the dent grows larger and larger, eventually, it cracks, leaving a few rays of light intruding the opaque gloomy space.

Two small hands dig into the crack and pry it open with little struggle.

Kaede is met with a pair of dark crimson irises. 

…

“Anyhow, how is my dear Korekiyo doing?”

“I… I don’t care for your casual pleasantries, sister, especially when you don’t even mean it. So cut to the chase.” He inhales “Where are you keeping her?”

“That’s so unlike you, Korekiyo. Since when did you doubt your own sister this easily?”

Ignoring the teasing tone, Korekiyo squares himself up to face his nightmare. Kohaku is standing in front of him, smug and scornful just as how he remembers her. Her body daintily swings from side to side, displaying indifference upon greeting him, as if he is just a small pest that she should pay no mind to. 

However, just a few seconds ago, when she called him a “traitor”, the word was laced with as much malice and raw anguish as those vitriolic gold eyes.

It’s amusing how easily her disposition sways. Or how she conceals her true color under tons of powder. 

“You certainly look much different than you used to be, and not in the bad way either.”

“Oh, starting with a little compliment, aren’t we? You have become way more forward than you were last year, so bashful that you didn’t even dare to praise me.”

“Yes, I have learnt a lot when I first stepped outside. People who are kind, benevolent and sure are worthy of being friends. _People who actually value my worth, sister_.”

“Oh, so now you are implying I wasn't treating you well enough. How arrogant, how selfish, Korekiyo, I did not raise you to adopt such hideous behaviour.”

She steps forward, and he instinctively staggers back. After all this time, it seems that Korekiyo is less prepared than he gives himself credit for. Her stature easily looms over him, despite them both sharing the same height. 

“You thought that just because you gather some vermins to be your friends, you are equal to me, and as such granted the right to defy me. No, my little brother,” she regretfully shakes her head, “it only serves to bring you to the same level as them, vermins.” With an exaggerated sigh, Kohaku holds her stance, “only naive minds such as yours are roped into believing such relations will empower you. The power of friendship, of love and compassion, such stories are only frivolities, compared to human’s vicious self-preservation and covetousness for power. You should have known as much, or has detachment from anthropology worn out your edges? You won’t survive that way, Korekiyo.”

“That’s where you are wrong. I have been doing fine on my own the past year, even with that naivety you accuse me of. Because they accept me, and _I accept them in return_ .” The thoughts he has been storing away for years finally pulled out of his mouth into a chain of conviction. “Your way of making friends will not get you anywhere. Taking them, _torturing them into submission..._ is not how you make others love you. At the end of time, there will be no one left by your side. Even I, your only brother. Do you believe me, Kohaku? That after everything, I still love you as my sister?”

Kohaku’s white face is still for a mere second, before it contorts into a sinister jeer. She cackles, cackles and cackles, because apparently Korekiyo just delivered the most hilarious punchline of history. 

“Hahahahahahahaha! You’re so funny, brother! You should have been the Ultimate Comedian instead of an Anthropologist! Your actions don’t match one at all!” Her laughter dies down, and the girl wipes the tears at her eye. “It would fit you much. You _hypocrite_!”

The brother recoils at the sheer force she spat those words. 

“Don’t forget you yourself abandoned me. Without notice, not a word, not a trace. One day and you were gone, leaving me to ponder where on earth my brother has pulverized to. You betrayed me, Korekiyo. My own flesh and blood brother betrayed me, like it was the most reasonable thing on this planet. And now you are back and lecture me on acceptance and love. See the irony? Say…, what did you actually learn, dear brother, that your pathetic group of friends will protect you in the end. They will accept you despite all your involvement with my crimes?”

“Your crimes?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention it, didn’t I? How absentminded of me.” Kohaku smiles, twinkling as if she’s holding the trump card. “Yes. I told her. About how you assisted me “torturing” all those poor girls. Down to the little details like how you handled their bodies and even joining in the session. And she was absolutely _abhorrent._ Haha! You should have seen her face!”

“The way I saw it then was a mistake,” he stumbles, “but I have learnt from it. I’m a better person now.”

“Really?”, she sings, unbelieving, “unfortunately, your little friend didn’t think the same. She was completely horrified, and lamented how gullible she was to befriend you!”

“N-no. Kaede wouldn’t. She believes in people…”

“Ahh,... another reason why you shouldn’t trust people you don’t even know well. She said she loathed you, you know? Because of you, I managed to capture her, and gave her a fairly ‘sound’ friend-treatment, too. Too bad she can’t move now.”

“What. Did you do to her?”

“Just roughing her up a little, that’s all. And probably scratched her other friend a bit. Oh, wait!” She feigns a gasp. “I was supposed to bandage that little cretin up, she was bleeding so badly. Ah, well, the life of a rat shouldn’t be much of a concern. Back to the point...”

She points at him, directly where his heart situates.

“Your other friends know she’s in my hand, don’t they? That’s why you know to confront me. Then what will your other friends think? Knowing that it’s your sister that kills off one of their friends? Wouldn't they frown upon you just like that girl, Kaede, isn't it? Since you are, by your association with me, also a murderer. They will sneer, spit on you, as in their eyes, you are nothing but filthy scum. Stop fooling yourself. Your friendship is non-existent, just a mirage that would shatter at the slightest disturbance."

The boy is silent, opting not to respond. He already knows the answer. Angie and Himiko were adamant he was the perpetrator before Tenko vindicated it for them. Surely, they have no qualms suspecting him and giving him a taste of hell, even if they have been in the same hole together for a whole year. He knows better that something _will_ change after this encounter. And her retell about Kaede… is not actually impossible.

“I can accept you back in. What you have done is inexcusable, but I can digress and overlook such shortcomings. I will love you just as much as you love me, as this world is against us. We ourselves are the only thing each other have.”

She opens her arms wide, poised for reconciliation. 

“Come back to me, Korekiyo. For everyone else in this world has forsaken you but me.”

His feet are hammered in place. Should he make the choice to return back to his sister's embrace? It has been established that aside from their little group of runaway kids, Korekiyo has nowhere else to return to. 

And thus the only other option...

He decides.

"Great choice, brother. With this, everything is redeemed." She quips with a contented grin as he walks up to her, rather timidly, with one hand supporting the other. 

She extends a hand, a gesture of acceptance and conformation. 

He takes her hand and his, revels in the familiar warmth that had been missing for the past period. 

He loves her. Even after all this time, after the chain of excruciating misery she looped around his neck, Kohaku is still his beloved sister, his mentor figure, his other half…

*Click*

"Huh?"

The girl is dumbfounded at the sudden development. Wasting no seconds, he drags her to the pipeline near them and clicks the other handcuff on it.

"W-wait, Korekiyo what does this mean?", she stammers, utterly astounded. Kohaku attempts to wriggle her way out of the metal cuff on her wrist, only to get yanked back at her own force. "Korekiyo! What are you DOING? RELEASE ME RIGHT AT THIS INSTANCE!"

He whips out his cell phone, calmly tapping on the screen. A closer look reveals their current location, and the police hotline.

"What are you…? Stop! STOP! You CAN'T do this to me, Korekiyo! I'm your ONLY blood kin! You can't do this to me!"

"I'm sorry, sister. It has to be done."

He presses send.

The cuffed girl lets out a throaty growl. One hand restrained, she scratches vainly at the air between her and the vindictive piece of gadget.

"You were right on one thing. What I have done is unforgivable. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing you're still roaming out there, killing innocent girls like I once allowed you to."

He turns on his heels, leaving a past of shame and regrets, instead heading towards whatever the future has in store for him. 

“This should be our last encounter. I shall bid my farewell. Even if there’s next time, hopefully, there would be a change of heart.”

Despite his back facing her, Korekiyo can feel Kohaku grabbing at him with anguish engraved on her countenance. Perhaps it’s their twin intuition telling. Still, there is no turning back. The deed has been done. Korekiyo is fully prepared to face the karma glaring at him dead in the neck. It’s the right choice. 

The ambience behind shifts, ever so slightly. 

“You have just proved my point”, her voice is hoarse from all the bawling. Then she giggles, hysterically, in between the snarls. “humans are just egoistical, selfish apes. Even the only connection I ever hope to believe is merely a wandering illusion, eventually falls off the cliff and dies…”

“True human connections exist, sister, and you were unfortunate enough to be estranged from it. I’m sorry, Kohaku. If only I knew it better.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaede didn't get to deliver the punch. Maybe someone should do it for her.
> 
> Oh and, that part "Medics aren't always right" is just Kaede being cynical, alright? If medics do tell you to do something, you better listen to them.


	10. So you(we) are here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi uses intimidation!
> 
> ...
> 
> It's not very effective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this fic is updated! After almost a month and a half! Phew! Lmao i had to stop writing for the whole september because exams, so please understand XD. Originally, i intended to only post this after i'm done with chap 12... but whoops this fic has been neglected for so long.

Their sound of footsteps reverberate throughout the empty alleys. The boy trudging behind her, Kaito Momota is what he calls himself, is occupied with both trying to catch his breath, while speaking into the handphone, cursing here and there along the way.

“Fucking dammit!”, that’s count number 8. He would have to donate to the swear jar if Maki was in charge of him. 

Maki, yes. That’s her name. Although no one else ever refers to her by that name, she still holds it with the most tender sentiment. It’s probably the only human thing left of her. 

However, that is beside the point at the moment, as Momota, dismissing all the fatigue, runs ahead. 

“This way, Maki Roll.” He instructs.

She sighs, following after him. This would be considered an obstruction to the assignment should it reach her custodians, but she has been ‘slacking off’ for a while now(the effects are probably wearing off), so may as well roll with it. 

Maki would not admit she’s procrastinating another mission complete.

…

The girl doesn’t know what she is expecting, but being bombarded with a foul stench of blood is definitely not it. 

A girl with blond hair drops on her knees the moment the entrance breaks. Tears well up in her eyes and specks of blood stain the left of her outfit. Years of training forces Maki to pinpoint such details at a glance. 

Is she hurt? There aren’t any visible wounds on her body, though. 

“Please… _ please!  _ Save her…”, she pleas.

Maki lifts her head, facing where the scent of blood is the thickest…

“Kaede! You alright?” Kaito rushes to the girl’s side, patting her on the shoulder...but it’s not her focus.

White uniform, or it used to be white, checkered scarf ( _ “It’s going to be our little secret~!” _ ) and a clown mask lying innocently on the ground.

This figure trembles in pain, half-leaning on the wall behind them, leaving a smudge of red. A nasty smudge of red. 

Her mind freezes, but her legs quickly gain momentum. 

The girl’s brown hair, and her small chubby face. Maki knows this face. And oh no… no no no no…

With a few strong tugs, the red rope gives off immediately, falling away from the red indentations on pale wrists. Blood is still seeping out from the girl’s shoulder, enlarging the dark pool beneath her. She is slipping in and out of consciousness. 

Maki pulls at the large ribbon on her collar and bandages the gash up as neatly as possible. It wouldn’t do much, however, medical attention is still crucially required. 

Maki scoops the trembling form in her arm, running through the options available. 

Maki turns to Momota, who is fumbling over the phone with his friend gazing at her direction, worry pasted all over her expression. 

“Will she be alright?”, she asks, though the answer should be obvious just by the look.

“No. Still need proper tending.” It takes her effort for her voice not to tremble. She needs to appear calm. “This would only reduce the blood loss, not cutting it off completely. I need to get her help somewhere. Is your place near here?”

“Hey, Kaito”, she calls, causing the boy to jump out of the conversation on the phone, “lead her to our abode. There’s enough supplies there, and Kirumi would be able to treat the wound well.”

Momota, unsurprisingly, nods at once. He hooks under her arms to lift the blond up, to which she refuses. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

“My ankle hurts too much. I’ll slow you down. Just go with them”, she urges.

“What? And leave you in the damn bastard’s lair? No way!”

“I can handle myself! I’m not the one dyin…”

“Can you two _ shut up  _ and come up with something quick? We don’t have the leisure so HURRY UP.”

Startled by Maki’s sudden loss of temper, the pair are rendered silent. 

Momota, still staring at the infuriated Maki, hustles over the phone.

“Yeah, yeah....”, he mumbles, a few more agreeing hums, “I know. But this is urgent, someone is fatally wounded…”, she can hear the word “dice” somewhere between the hushes, “alright. I’m counting on you.”

He briskly jogs over and pushes the little device in her hand. 

“Here. My sidekick will instruct you there.” In a swift motion, he shrugs off his outer jacket and drapes it over the small body. “To hide the blood”, he explains. 

Wasting no seconds, Maki nods and departs, for any minute late can be disastrous. 

This is the least she can do for _ them _ .

…

The place is not as near as favourable, so she has to improvise somehow. 

Given the general area, Maki lissomely leaps on top of buildings and heads to the direction. The person on the other line, with his meek voice, seems to be able to tell her exact location, even with the vague description of the place she occasionally gives him.

The path is still long. Maki, part navigates through the assortment of perching structures, part listens to the laboured breath in her arms. Because of Momota’s jacket wrapping around the little girl, Yuuki, as she has never forgotten, Maki should not be able to feel the cooling skin and sticky red blood dripping on her forearm. She still feels it anyways. 

…

_ “CB014? Halt your current session.” _

_ She heard the call and dropped from the bouldering wall. “CB014’s present.” _

_ The man in white coat checked on the piece of clipboard he was holding. His spectacles glinted in the dim light of the laboratory. The man is nameless, faceless, just like any other unaccountable personals ever set foot in this lab. Today was another training day. They would appoint her some tasks and be done with it. Another day, tasteless, unimportant. It was the life of subject CB014. She should not bother with anything else rather than the task at hand, which includes another living-being. In fact, they instructed her not to be bothered with any form of living-beings. _

_ Which is why it surprised her when the bespectacled man informed her this.  _

_ “We will place several other subjects in your cell. Your duty is to look after them and make sure they don’t make any ruckus. Should such happen, physical resortments are permitted.” _

_ CB014 blinked. Surely, that would not be much of a trouble. Physical prowess has always been her strongest front. Restraining a target is nothing she was unfamiliar with. But looking after them? According to her knowledge, there were two types of people in the lab. Taller ones in white coats, and the other, were subjects, like her. CB014 had never seen another subject before. If her knowledge had served her well, then they should look the same as her, too. But what did she herself look like? The subject couldn’t help but wonder in a short moment... _

_ Irrelevant. She should not be bothered but focus on the task at hand. _

_ “Alright. Return to your cell now. They should have been transferred there.” _

_ … _

Maki lands in an unoccupied dark alley, trash cans and rodents reside on one side. The place is filthy, but as she moves further and further in, it becomes clearer and cleaner. Finally, she stops at an inconspicuous wooden door, desolated as any other derelict houses nearby.

A knock. Then two. Maki gets impatient. She pulls her fist back, ready to bust the thing before a click sounds. 

The door opens, and Maki is faced with someone she isn’t supposed to.

“Hello”, Shuichi Saihara, in blood and flesh, greets, his eyes obscured by the black baseball cap, “please hurry in-argh!”

She pushes her way past him. The boy, a bit affected, hurriedly closes the door behind them.

“Place her on the couch over there. I’ll go get the medical kit.” And with that, he dashes off. 

Letting someone as dangerous as her in the house unguarded would have caused her to scoff mentally under normal circumstances. However, she pays it no mind this time, instead fussing over the injured little girl.

The flow has not ceased, of course it hasn’t, but it slows even for a little bit. “Maki-nee…”

The sudden mention of her name kicks her out of the internal rants. She places a hand on Yuuki’s forehead, cooing. “I’m here. Try to stay awake. You’ll be fine.”

And she sincerely hopes so. Yuuki may be physically less apt than the rest of them, but she was built to have some endurance. She can pull through this. 

“Don’t turn him in...Please?”

The little girl peers into her eyes, tired and droopy due to her compromised state. Nevertheless, something burns in that look, yearning for a path of understanding and altruism. Without being verbal, Maki knows thousands of words are being articulated into that single gesture, calling for a return, and route of redemption.  _ “You don’t have to do this.” _ It says. “ _ We can make up and start over again. _ ” It says. 

She turns her eyes away. 

Maki is a coward. She knows. When that hand had outstretched to her, promising a future and a sanctuary escape, she had been afraid. Her life, her identity,... it was all Maki/CB014 knew. Anything existed on the other side of the pristine marble walls, she had no knowledge of. Which was why she was scared. Scared that  _ they _ would be able to reach them. Scared that she would have to witness the last batch of people important to her slaughtered in front of her very own eyes. Scared that _ she _ would be the one to bring out the execution. 

Those snakes back in the lab have their own ways. And Maki is sure they would have no problems coercing her into committing such barbarism. 

A hurt expression manifests on Yuuki’s face. The grimace grows more evident just as her eyelids flutter close. As if against her own will, the girl is pulled back into slumber. 

Timely, Saihara Shuichi is back with a white box in his arms. He fumbles to open it up, taking out a roll of bandage and some antiseptics. 

Maki methodologically cuts the sleeve and the shoulder of the uniform, then picks up the tweezer and plucks some cotton off the clumped ball. She lets the antiseptics permeate the cotton, before gently apply it along the skin around the wound. ‘It’s a nasty wound’, she thinks bitterly again, swallowing the ball of guilt stucking in her throat. If she ever meets the bastard who did this, she’ll make sure they never see tomorrow’s light.

Shuichi Saihara kneels beside the couch nervously, handing her the items whenever she asks of him.

When the gash is finally dressed properly, Maki looks over and pats on Yuuki’s hair. She seems to be doing well, for someone who must have lost a gallon of blood, so Maki reserves the right to be worried. Her former ward(ward? Was that how they were like?) is sleeping soundly, taking all the energy into returning the body to a stabilized state. 

She notices the way the other boy’s eyes bore into her for a while now, and sighs. “What do you want?” Short and sweet. Just the Maki style. 

“Um…”, the boy starts, in the most eloquent way possible, “you are Kaito’s friend, right? Can I ask for your name?”

“Maki.”

“Okay. Maki… That’s all?”

“What else do you need? My house address? Sorry to disappoint, but that’s just nosey of you.”

“Oh,...pardon me. I didn’t mean to come across as rude.”

Another sigh. “No. Don’t worry. I’m not mad.” Partly because he gives off the vibe similar to a certain someone. She can’t help but treat him with an ounce of benignancy, at least for the time being when she pretends to be a harmless bystander. 

More silence, then, “You know her?”

Oh boy, some sleuth he is. “Look, even though I’m not mad about you being privy, you are teetering on the brink here. Stop asking irrelevant questions, it’s none of your business.”

His mouth slams shut, and pressed into a thin line. Still, the gaze remains steely, unfaltered. For a moment Maki considers ignoring him entirely. On second thought, that makes her feel a little awkward. “We are acquaintances, but other than that, there’s nothing else.” She emphasizes, “No more. No less.”

He taps on his chin contemplatively. Now that’s the gesture of someone else. This guy…

“I see… if that’s how it goes…”

Even though he does not question their relationship any further, Maki is certain he doesn’t buy into it either. That tone is just dripping with skepticism if you ask her. 

Another moment of silence. The only sound filling the room is the mellow breath of the little girl, her chest rising and lowering slowly. 

“Maki-san…”, the boy once again speaks up. “Please don’t take this personally. I deeply appreciate you aiding us in finding Kaede. We wouldn’t know what to do if something happened to her. However, I can’t help but wonder…”

Her breath hitches.

“Maki-san. Is there any way… that you are the one after me?”

The conversation derailed to the worst direction possible, braking to a curb too abruptly that everything following it crashed to the dust. Maki tenses up to keep her composed exterior, but inside a typhoon of panic is raging. What the..? How does he know? They have never bumped into each other before last night, and Maki is sure it was too dark to even see her anyways. Hell, she herself didn’t recognize the other members, so no way this snotty weiner actually caught her in the act?

“That expression… so it’s true. Mainly it’s just a wild guess… but…the incidents can’t coincide this seamlessly…Unless...”, he turns back to her, eyes widened in terror, “You knew Kaito is acquainted to me?”

“No”, that’s an easy refute, “I only met him out of coincidence. Nothing more than that.”

At this, it’s his turn to heave a relieved sigh. What? So he just threw some baseless accusation at her?

“How can you be so sure it’s me?”

“You sound like you know someone is following me.” Not a question. “A reasonable question should be “someone is after you?”, or something of the kind. You just went straight to rebutting the hypothesis.”

"..."

"..."

Damn. What a slip up. Her mouth pulls into a scowl. Her luck is dampened these days, huh. Well, even if he doesn’t have concrete evidence, what matters is that he already zoomed onto her as the pursuer. From the little information she was given, Shuichi Saihara has experience working as a detective and Maki doesn’t know jack about how detectives work. For all she knows, they can be magical workers who solve cases at a glance, thanks to all those worn-out books she somehow got a hand on back in the lab. So, Maki is going to assume trying to deny it would just prove his point. Plus, it’s not that he can do anything in turn to resist. 

So she gives in. (She’s tired of running and hiding)

Another few minutes of awkward silence and Maki tries to shut out the inquisitive gaze from her supposed 'prey'. For someone who should be petrified in his position, this boy is bold in his confrontation.

Maki decides to leave it for the time being.

She takes a better look at the interior of the place. The place is enveloped by a warm light cream color, with a few paintings hanging on the walls, not unlike the picture of a "home sweet home" she has in her head.

Her hand subconsciously gently brushes against the silky brown braid, carving its texture into her memory. She feels the need to do so while she still has the chance, because, well, this  _ her  _ would not last much longer.

…

_ IT006 shivered in her own bloody heap, whether from the pain or from the freezing temperature, didn't matter.  _

_ CB014 had a task, and she intended to complete it. _

_ "Please,C-c, don't do thi-" _

_ *Crack* _

_ And IT006 moved no more. _

_ She swat away the burning red on her hands. _

_ "Well done on your first kill, CB014. IT006 has been disobedient. She has to be exterminated." And he added, "This is the price of defiance and failure to carry out your duties. Remember it well." _

_ It had to be done. The voice in her head spoke. Yet the tear-streaked face of betrayal never faded. _

…

"So now you know who I am. What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing much. I know your strength. I know you can detain me with little effort, so there's not much use to run." 

His eyes travel to where her hand is placed on the other's forehead, and his gaze softens. 

"Though I don't think you would go ahead and capture me now. It's not your current objective."

Maki huffs a dry, humourless laugh. "So you think you're safe?"

"No. I don't want to make any assumptions, but, um… I don't doubt next on your hit list would be me."

"...Fair."

Saihara pauses for a pensive moment, assessing his next words. 

"Maki-san", he calls, voice remains calm, although his fingers grip tightly on the striped pants. "I understand if you have to capture me. It's nothing personal, so I won't hold it against you. If it's something that you are obligated to do… then I'll follow you… willingly. However…"

Pale gold glared dead into crimson, punctured through the air between them.

" **_If any harm comes to them, I’ll make sure you pay. I'll tear you and whoever's hiring you. Down. To the last bit._ ** _ " _

"..."

“...”

Maki makes a face at him, incredulous. "Are you threatening me?"

The guy blinks,"...y-yes, you can take it that way."

It is kind of… preposterous of him, to attempt to intimidate one second, then stammer the next. Though she has to hand it to him, for someone who hides under a hat, Saihara does have some might. 

"*Sigh*. You know, if you want to scare someone, you gotta try harder than that. Try to keep your frightening pose a little longer."

Saihara.exe crashes while processing the information fed to him. 

"Okay? Thanks for the advice, I guess?"

"You're welcome."

"..."

"...". Saihara messes with the hat on his head.

"I used to take care of children. Some of them could be a handful."

"...I see. So I take it that you have experience dealing with difficult people?"

"You can say so. And the nine-year-old of the bunch can make a scarier face than you did. If you want to learn how to threaten people, ask him to be your tutor. That little rascal would be more than happy to pass down his "mastery techniques" or whatever he called it."

"That would be nice?"

"Precisely. He would need someone level-headed to keep tabs on him. The whole group is simply just a bunch of meddlesome hysteric monkeys. Honestly, they could use some restraints. Even the biggest of the group is just a glorified baboon who stuck toilet paper up the ceiling."

"They sound interesting?"

"You haven't known them then."

Saihara has relaxed a little, though he is still uneasy. The tension saturates and melts away, leaving only a tingling taunt.

"About earlier,... please keep it in mind. I sincerely meant every word I said."

"Fret not. I have nothing to gain exposing you bunch."

"Thank you." Saihara drops a smile in relief, although he looks away in resignation. She feels a small jab to her heart at this gesture, ashamed that the situation would force her to turn him in. The boy has a pleasant aura, not as bubbly as Momota, but certainly more than welcomed. Should they meet under normal conditions, they would have gotten along well. 

And she spares a moment to ponder. Maki, as she is now, has some free will on her own, and she should use it while it lasts.

So she makes her own decision. Even if it’s going to be the last one. 

…

As Korekiyo leaves his sister handcuffed on the pipeline, Tenko decides it’s time for her to show up. 

No, she is not a stalker or anything. Even if she is, the only one she stalks would be Himiko and no one else. For her safety only! And no, she is not concerned about the damning degenerate, either. Not in the slightest!

The masked degenerate looks at her in shock, surprised by her sudden appearance. They are quite a distance away from where the girl is restrained, and are hidden by the corner, too, so she cannot see them. Still, the thought of a girl being treated so roughly by a degenerate male doesn’t sit well with her. If the girl hadn't been such a (Tenko really doesn’t want to admit) menace, Korekiyo would have had his head in the gutter. But she is, so here they are. 

If she has been the Tenko two years ago, though, he would still have his head in the gutter regardless. Oh, how time has changed. For such a stunningly beautiful girl to commit heinous acts like kidnapping, and apparently, murder, the sky above Tenko’s head would shatter at an instant, debris falling down crushing her last bit of trust in any form of humanbeings. Fortunately, Tenko knows better now. 

She still wants to deck the degenerate in the face. 

“It’s about time you finish.” The Aikido Master grunts. “We have wasted enough time as it is. Tenko wants to go see Kaede as soon as possible.”

“You’re right. I’m worried about her as well. We should get going.” He brushes through her side, hurried to the direction where Kaito found her. Without turning back, Korekiyo asks in a reluctant voice. “You… didn’t happen to overhear our conversation, right?”

Tenko keeps silent. She is aware of the turmoil ravaging inside the other’s heart. His past, his tainted heart, and broken pieces of a mirror patched haphazardly together…, but she is not in the position to call him out, not by herself, at least.

“So you did…”

“This is not the time, degenerate. We’ll sort it out later.”

Tenko can’t help the hint of anger in her tone. She is pissed at him, that’s for sure. Typical degenerate males playing clandestines and putting other people at stake. Nevertheless, in the end, he is still a victim and Tenko is not cruel enough to chew him out at this tender moment. Better yet they still need to make sure Kaede is safe and sound.

Without another word exchanged, they stride through the empty alleys to reach the destination. It’s not that far away, but feels like the path is stretched 10 times over. With Korekiyo recently cutting ties with his sibling, and Tenko synapses cracking at all the new information, along with the urge to see their dear friend immediately, no amount of ‘shortness’ seems enough.

They eventually arrive in front of a shutter and are late to the party, a very distressing one at that. The rest are already present, fussing over the pianist, saved for the green degenerate. 

Kaede is being carried by Gonta, seemingly exhausted, with her ankles swollen, but unharmed otherwise. 

Tenko opens her mouth to ask about the injury before Miu talks over.

“The fucking cuck! I’ll fuck them all up! Mom! Get me the biggest knife in the kitchen. I’ll slice the dickhead’s asshole ten times over!” the inventor is shouting her inane profanities, a tad more aggressive than usual. 

“Please refrain from insinuating disturbing images so naturally in this situation. We already have enough stress as it is.” Kirumi massages the crease between her brows.

“Yeah! Show some consideration. Kaede’s just walked out of a tiger’s jaw! Give her a break!”, shouts the glittery degenerate. And now the two biggest stentorians are bickering. Honestly, why can’t those big babies grow up? And why is the space idiot dressing that way? Where’re the slippers?

“Geez, you lots can’t keep it down even for a second…”, sighs the midget man in the background, who is in the middle of consoling the pianist. 

“..and fuck you too! That fucking nutcums deserves to be incinerated!”

Miu whips her head to the two new attendees, her face twists even further. 

“YOU! Fucking cock-sucker!”, she lets out an unholy screech and is ready to grind the masked guy to dust. Kaito, who is standing the nearest to her, manages to hold her back by hooking from under her arms. 

“Calm your tits, you dimwits! Punching him wouldn’t solve anything. He’s not even the one kidnapped her.”

“Calm the fucking cock! The creep never said anything! He might as well be!”

“Now, now. Kamii-sama has spoken. No one is at anyone.” Angie raises her hand as a pacifying gesture. Himiko watches the scene unfold with disinterest. 

The main character, ironically, is silent. She keeps her head down, pensive. Tenko is still worried, mostly at the ankles being angled a bit unnaturally. 

“What’s wrong, Kaede. Are you feeling unwell? Is Gonta holding you too uncomfortably? Here, Gonta can adjust…”

“It’s okay, Gonta. I’m fine.” She reassures. “Can we please just go home? I’m sick of being in this place… And want to make sure someone is safe…”

The girl shrinks further, shifting closer to the entomologist. Kaede appears much more vulnerable than she usually is. The girl often displays her strong resolve as a leader, and sometimes a little cheeky side, but hardly ever vulnerability. With her fortitude, it is easy to forget Kaede is just as lost as the rest of them.

Angie seems to be the most concerned at this reaction. She silently mouths “who?”.

“Kaede...I…”, the anthropologist stumbles. Tenko cannot see him, but the tremor in his voice is evident. Korekiyo has always been the more composed one in the group, and to see his demeanour change this way, reduced to that of a scared child, pinches at her heart. The other stare at him, some with distaste, while some are unsure what to make of him. Even Tenko can’t promise she can see him the same way again, especially when she witnessed the confrontation. The guy has done awful things, even if he hasn’t directly killed anyone, he is still accountable for their demise. 

“Korekiyo…”, Kaede is uncharacteristically stern. It is as if she is trying to hold back lashing out at him. “I will give you the benefits of doubt and not blame this incident on you. However, you’ll have to explain to us what exactly is going on. And no secrets this time, either.”

Her tired eyes turn sharp as an arrow, cutting through the viscous tension in the air and plunging deep into the flesh of the person behind her. 

The anthropologist responses with a simple nod, too stricken to find the right words to say.

And thus, they leave with grumbles from other members, ignoring the faint dusk of twilight and the sirens wailing nearby.

…

It’s the green degenerate who greets them at the door.

“You guys are a wreck”, he stated.

“Hold it, degenerate. You don’t look that much better either.” Tenko replies, making a small observation at the coat of sweat on his forehead. All of them are perspiring and slowly regaining their stamina. The hectic scour, as well as the ruckus just a good 20 minutes prior, are a lot to take.

“Kaede, your leg!”, Rantarou blurts, alarmed. The pianist, still huddled in Gonta’s arms, waves at him dismissively as the group enters the house. 

“Don’t worry. Just minor damage. More importantly, how is she?”

Tenko cocks a brow. Kaede has mentioned someone twice, certainly not someone in their group since everyone is here. Alright, throw her a bone. What’s new?

“The DICE girl, right? She is resting. I can’t tell much since I just came by myself. Shuichi and, uh, Maki, yeah, that’s her name, are tending to her.”

Angie’s pace hastens, leaving Himiko behind. The aikido master is intrigued. That’s two more involved in this event that she hasn’t heard of. Seriously, what’s going on? What did she miss?

Turns out the answer comes to her fairly quickly. As Tenko trudges past the entrance, and their living space comes into view, unfamiliar locks of long burnt brown hair catches her eyes, then contrasting green and red clash.

The girl is mostly covered in red, with patches of teal color decorating her outfit. Tenko does not sense malice from her, but there is something solemn and apprehensive lying under the exterior.

“Maki”, she curtly introduces. “Just visiting for a while, then I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

Tenko is about to question further when a large hand is placed on her shoulder. Out of reflex, she elbows the glittery degenerate behind her. 

“OoFF! T-Tenko...you don’t hit your besties… like that…”

“Shut it. Since when were we besties, degenerate?”

“Since then! I thought my earnesty was reciprocated!”

“Only presumptuous degenerates like you make assumptions like that. Tch! What now?”

“Oh yeah. This is Maki Roll. Don’t panic that she’s here. I invited her in!”

Her face pulls into a scowl. What imbeciles like him just suddenly let strangers into their cottage without discussing it first. She thought they all agreed to play it safe!

“Hey now, don’t give me that look. I have been with her for some time now, and technically she’s an Ultimate too so it should be…”

“What do you mean by _ “been with her for some time now” _ ?”

“Huh? Nothing, we just hang out and talk and be friends! And I bought ice-cream for her, too.” Kaito explains, then notices the flaming torch that is growing second by second and that he just made a glamourous mistake. “Oh no no...You get it wrong! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Oh, she gets it. The flashy outfit, him wearing actual shoes over the slippers, the attempt to look as preened as a degenerate peacock attracting potential female partners. Hoo boy. She has been right afterall. The degenerate has been wooing girls right under her nose.

With unwavering rage and storming fury, Tenko’s arm flies like a raven, grappling the guy by the collar. “ **Degenerate** .” The dagger glaze stabs into him. Blood boils. Her eyeballs bulge so much the veins in her retinas are popping. Kaito is practically begging her to reconsider. Her intent is relentless. “ _ Any last words? _ ”

The glittery degenerate lets out an earth-shattering screech before foaming and dropping dead on the floor. Miu squeals in terror. Himiko pokes him with a stick. Ryoma nearby sips on tea freshly brewed by Kirumi. 

Talking about the maid, she has just made a beeline to them and graciously offers the guest a cup of tea. Maki initially declines, but the maid insists. The former finally gives in, eyeing the cup before taking it into her hands. 

Angie is kneeling by the side of the couch, peering intently at the person lying on it. Kaede is sitting not far away, accompanied by Gonta. The artist is not smiling, which is rare, and dare she says, a little unsettling as the girl is nothing but a bundle of overzealousness. 

A closer look reveals the source of unease. A girl, heavily wounded she may note, is leaning against the soft cushions. Her uniform is not unrecognized, either. Tenko can tell the DICE uniform just from the few times she saw them, though the right sleeve and the shoulder area have been cut, replaced by layers of woven gauze. The fabric around the bandages is soaked in still damp red. Blood, her fatigued brain supplies. Tenko winces at the sight. To sustain a deep injury like that, and losing that much blood(judging from the stains on the uniform alone), this girl certainly has some resilience. Regardless, Tenko is thankful that she does not need to see an innocent girl’s passing.

She feels a small hand grabbing at her side. It’s Himiko, who probably realizes Tenko’s attention to the person on the couch and investigates. Her face is morphed into discomfort and concern. The aikido master wraps an arm around her, ground her little companion. 

“So cruel… they have the audacity to do this.” Himiko mutters, perturbed by the aftermath of a malevolent act.

“It should have been me.” Kaede says grimly. “Kohaku was targeting me when Yuuki blocked the blow. She risked her life to protect me, and yet when she was bleeding out, I couldn’t do a thing.” The last five words hold more bitter conviction than the rest. 

“No...Kaede.” Kaito speaks up from where he is lying face-down on the floor. “You caught our attention. You called us. If you didn’t, Maki and I would never have found where you were.”

“That may be true…”, Kaede trails off. She bits her lips. “Doesn’t change the fact that she could have died.”

The temperature in the room drops a few degrees. The possibilities stare at them right in the face. ‘ _ There could have been deaths _ ’ echoes in Tenko’s mind like a malicious chant. The DICE girl could have died. Kaede could have died. Their blissful period of peaceful days would come to a tragic end. An immense loss. Everyone is muted by the horrifying prospect. Even Maki is shifting uncomfortably in her seat. 

“Everyone”, comes a voice that has not been heard all this time. “I owe you all an explanation. And an apology.”

All eyes land on him. Korekiyo, with a slight shiver, slams his eyelids close. The cleavage between his brow is deeper than a trench between two oceans. His hand movements are stagnant, sluggish, but slowly, the hands hover right above the medical mask. 

“Maki-san. My deepest apology that you have to witness this when you have just arrived. It is understandable if you don’t want to be part of this conversation.”

At this, the maid chips in.“You can wait upstairs if you want to. I can escort you there.”

The addressed girl spares a subtle glance at the unconscious one on the couch. Sleeping, breathing, living…

“No. Don’t bother. Just ignore I’m in this room.”

“I see, then pardon me.” The anthropologist says as he pulls down the mask, exposing the hideous scars lie beneath. 

The reactions range from shock, to disgust, to commiseration. Even Tenko, who has seen it closed-up, has a hard time looking at the jagged flesh and misplaced stitches for the second time.

“This is who I truly am, a vile image that matches my sister’s. I should start from the beginning. From now on, no more secrets, to compensate for the wrongdoings I have committed.”

He goes on reciting the origin of the twins, the story of Kohaku’s amplifying narcissism, how she coaxed him into wearing her clothes and growing his hair and cutting his cheeks, and finally, how his poor-judgements lead to the festering of his sister’s killing…

The aikido master, and the rest of them, listen, edged on. Words are whisked away from them. It is a revolting and pitiful tale, yet they can’t help but see him under a sensitized lens as the man arms wrap around himself tighter and tighter. There has been trauma, pain, then there has been cruelty, grisliness, and then there is the ultimate conclusion: redemption. 

At the grand epilogue, Korekiyos slides off his seat, head touches the ground, hands folded neatly by his forehead, and utters the most burdening syllables. “I’m sorry. My actions have endangered one of us, and roping another innocent into this mess. I have no words to defend it, and I have no intention to find one. I understand if you decide to no longer sanction my stay and I will accept  _ all consequences _ .” His head presses down with more force. His lungs heave in and out visibly under his ribcage. The words towards the end crack, signalling their gravity and the emphasis carried within.

Silence prolongs. A good number of them, including Kaede, are half-hoisted up from where they are sitting, debating whether to console this broken man. Shuichi, predictably, grabs at his hat and tugs it down. Miu, who has been the most vocal about hating Korekiyo, is hesitant to mete him out further. Angie stares blankly. Himiko clutches onto her sleeve more stiffly. 

It is Rantarou who breaks the transciene they all freeze in. 

“Hey. Head up.” He commands. 

Korekiyo makes no moves. The green-haired reiterates. “ _ Head up _ . We can’t accept your apology if you don’t look at us.”

Slowly, but surely, the anthropologist rises from his crouching position. Rantarou places a hand on his shoulder. “Now repeat what you just said. Say what’s truly in your heart this time.”

“I’m sorry…”, the man whimpers. “I will accept all consequences. If you wish me to leave this place, I will…, because that would be what I deserve…”

“Speak what’s truly in your heart.” 

And with the spiel broken, ugly fat tears roll down, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry... Please… don’t abandon me, please don’t leave me behind… I… I have  _ nowhere _ else to go…”

His head drops like a puppet on string.

“My sister has always been the one to provide me a place to belong. Up until then, you were the only ones who ever accepted me! So, please… You don’t have to act so friendly with me. You don’t have to pretend any of this never happened, but at the very least, let me stay here… Let me be with the only people who ever see Korekiyo Shinguji as a person...”

No verses exchanged between any of them for a good while, just barely noticeable sobbings.

When the hiccups die down, Rantarou kneels beside him. The green-haired man glances around the group with a firm gaze.

“So… what’s the verdict?”

No one answers. They all look at each other, but none makes another move. 

“I guess so too. In a way, we all have secrets, and most of us are not obliged to share it. So it’s fair that Korekiyo can keep something to himself.”

Miu seems like she has a rebuttal, Rantarou shoots it down.

“No, I didn’t mean that I agreed with him withholding something so crucial. My point is: what he did was poor hindsight from his part, but I understand the rationale behind his actions. Hey, Angie,” He calls the Ultimate Artist, who refused to be part of the conversation up until now, “you said the foundation of this group is acceptance and forgiveness, didn’t you? We came here because the outside world does not conform us, so we gathered, like a family. _ “Any past mistake will be set aside as long as your intention in joining is pure.” _ Korekiyo joined because he wanted to free himself from abuse and find a real family. Isn’t that pure enough for you? And when something happened, you guys swarmed on him instead of helping out. What kind of family is that?”

Angie remains stoic, sky blue eyes glued on Rantarou’s chartreuse. They dart at the other kneeling boy, then back at Rantarou. Miu is squirmish, shrinking further into the cushion. Ryoma sighs. Gonta is flustered, although he’s the second one in the room to be on the anthropologist’s side, attempting to placate the others, as futile as it is, to the best of his ability. Kaede’s expression is still impartial, even after being called out. Tenko swallows the ball of shame in her throat. She has not actively singled out Korekiyo, but didn’t outright defend him, either. 

“So you are saying that we shouldn’t have questioned him and just let it slide?”, the artist grunts. her visage is a few shades darker. “You do know that would pose higher risks to our safety, right? What else can lurk in our midst? An actual killer?”

“Now, now, don’t get me wrong”, the guy concedes. “I’m saying that we could use a more mellow approach instead of straight-up interrogating him. It would be hypocritical of us to do so. And it’s not right to kick him out, either.” 

“But we didn’t, the creep told us himself!”

“The way you are probing him, I would say it’s interrogation", Ryoma replies.

Another awkward moment reigns. Maki is fidgeting in her place, probably regrets not ditching when she has the chance. But she seems worried about the girl, so she wouldn’t anyways.

More gazes are exchanged. Tenko waits with bated breath.

Finally, Kaede stands up. She staggers, possibly due to her leg injuries, but manages. The girl slips into her appointed leader role. 

“Rantarou is right. It’s not our place to judge another’s background. Korekiyo has done wrong. But we can forgive that. Of course, we won’t expel him, either. I don’t believe any of us even has the heart to do so…”

Then she turns to the two boys, offering to pull them up. They accepted. 

“I’m sorry, Korekiyo. It’s never my aim to out you like this. I just want to understand what’s going on. I was scared. We could have fallen apart. Someone could have died.”

Korekiyo still averts his gaze, the last confession has drained all the energy he has. Kaede pats lightly on his cheek, prompting him to face her. 

“Hey, it’s okay. All this time we spent together was real and I know Korekiyo Shinguji is a kind person at heart. You have always been carrying this burden by yourself, haven’t you? We’re sorry that we couldn’t help you out until this late. It must have been painful. The fact that your place is here has never changed. We don’t hate you just because your sister is a sewage douche, alright? So stop crying…" At this, the guy bursts into tears, causing Kaede to momentarily jump in surprise. "...or cry all you want. We are here. We share this moment together.”

With that, she pulls him into a hug. Korekiyo returns it, his eyes are blurrier, arms tighten around her shoulder. Rantarou pats on his shoulder while chuckling. Ryoma moves to tug on his trouser. Kirumi stands by his side. Gonta excitedly jumps from his seat and embraces anyone he can grab, lifting Rantarou, Kirumi, Kaede and Korekiyo all together. Angie, despite her initial skepticism, decides better and lets herself roll along. Kaito intends to join next, gesturing to Miu and Tenko to come with him. Miu, wordlessly, complies. And Tenko herself, not that she will ever heed a degenerate male, but she will make an exception just this once. Himiko, naturally, slips into the middle of the huddle. Shuichi, the newbie, awkwardly trails behind and of course the glittery degenerate would wrest him in. 

They tangle in a bundle for a good few minutes, processing the events that lead to this heartfelt moment, even if Tenko has to begrudgingly be in touch with several degenerates. However, she won’t complain this time. There will be plenty of opportunities to flip them later. So instead, she simply welcomes the warmth radiated from the rest of them and thanks that fate allows her to savour this moment.

Then everything is perfect. Like Kaede said, they have each other. They are all hormonal and explosive teenagers who would combust at the smallest instigation. But most of all, they are lonely kids who have been forgone by society, and are only lucky enough to find accommodation in those who share the same fate. 

The storm has calmed, and with its finale a rainbow would manifest, promising a brighter future ahead.

Or so she thought.

The giddy warm atmosphere has yet to dissipate when a familiar but foreboding voice rings.

“Maki-nee, what are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kork... uwu
> 
> HIs near break down in the last part was intended to show his person as a lost child, after experiencing abuse at the hand of his own sister, which contrast his usual sturdy and mature behaviors(tho it's not even clearly demonstrated due to poor pacing. good job, you dumb seal). It's already stated or implied in chap 8, sister dearest, but i feel like im not doing it enough justice, lmao, so me just gonna rant.
> 
> In short, the Shinguji twin was kind of isolated in their own house. Their father(custodian) and other helpers don't really bother to teach them morals or how to act as a normal person, only anthropology. This led to them knowing the concept of compassion but not experienced it first hand. They also have no personal connection to anyone but each other, though with both of them have trouble empathising, it didn't help much. Since Kohaku was regarded as the better one, before she had the rashes, the hierarchy between them is already established(this will more or less play some part in other ultimate siblings' relationships), so when the assortment is disturbed, the way they identify themselves and the way others treat them didn't match. Korekiyo felt injustice for his sister and aggravated his already low self-esteem, thus the need to attend to every of her requests, while Kohaku furthered her self-importance. And when Kohaku decided that she deserved everything in the world things spiraled down the rabbit hole, the rest is history. She is also very violent in her ways since 1.she has little sense of empathy, 2.she was used to be rough with Korekiyo
> 
> It is also good to note that if Korekiyo wasn't rescued by Kaede and co, he is likely to turn to be the same as his canon counterpart, as at this point the guy would be too broken and obsessed with his sister to even tell right from wrong.   
> (i'll try to give him a character arc later, maybe, i dunno, if i can fit it in)
> 
> other things i would like to clarify... Shuichi deductions comes out of nowhere, i know :'))). he does have reasons for that conclusion, tho i dont think i can explain it well, yet. Maki definitely has close connections with DICE, and guess who's the nine-year-old she's talking about ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Kaito and Miu bickers a lot, they both have rather short-temper and Tenko criticise them for that as if she's not just as hot-headed. Rantarou stands up for Korekiyo because Avocado boi knows how it's like to hide something ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) hmmm, whatchu got there, boi? 
> 
> Anyhow :))), i'm glad that there are still people reading. I cant promise much but i do want to see this to the end :'))(please motivation let me write the rest of this shit fic :))) ) To whoever's following this fic, :'))) thank you so much, wish i could send you a hug from here UwU...


	11. Removal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dangers may have passed, but not everything is settled...

While the whole huddly cuddly business is going on, someone has intruded the house. 

The lukewarm glee in the air vanishes in a second, replaced with a sense of anticipation. 

There stand the two intruders, cladded in acquainted white and checkered bandanas and clown masks, frozen just like the rest of them. 

“You are not supposed to be here”, Jack repeats as he removes the clown mask, exposing his dumbstruck expression. 

“Yuuta…”, murmurs Maki in recognition. 

Shuichi takes in the encounter ensuing, knowing a tsunami is about to crash the shore. 

Guessing that Maki is sent after him is a bit of a fluke, but Shuichi was confident he was on point to some extent. 

The girl was overly suspicious after all.

It all began when Maki offered to transfer the DICE girl to their place to treat her wound. A normal person in that situation would have thought calling an ambulance, since it would be the most logical choice. Perhaps the girl had to keep her identity a secret, hence appearing in public areas like hospitals would not be conducive for her. And then came her anomalous strength and power, leaping through buildings like child’s play. Shuichi supervised everyone’s location during the search, through which he can tell where exactly someone is and map out the best route for each group and seeing the dot representing Kaito’s phone, which Maki carried on her, while holding another person, flying from constructions to constructions, just further added to his wariness. 

And most importantly, the girl’s connection with DICE, a seemingly impertinent piece, but was the one that cemented his theory. From the way Jack fretted over him the night prior, it’s not hard to conclude.  _ “She is already here”.  _ DICE knew the perpetrator. And from the way Maki reacted with one of their members, it’s possible that she’s related to them as well. 

Then the biggest, fattest give-away that is the last nail in the coffin.  _ “Don’t turn him in.”  _ Yes, Shuichi was listening in. Not that he eavesdropped on them on purpose, but the ear set connected with Kaito’s phone Maki still had with her automatically told him just what he needed to know. 

Maki was sent to capture someone. All the little clues gathered pointed to him. 

DICE went through the effort to keep her away from him, so to stumble on her where he is hiding would be the least expected. But Shuichi didn’t foresee it would turn out like  _ this. _

“Maki! Maki!”, the other member, a tall woman with short hair bolts and clasps her arm around the girl’s neck, nearly topples them both over. Her mask is tossed aside, as streams of tear flow down her cheeks. “I miss you! I miss you so much! Why did you leave us? Now I have to look after all the little gremlins! It’s bad for my skin! Not fair!”

“Queen… we have a bigger problem at hand here.”

“Shut up! Yuu, let us have a little reunion here! Can’t a woman be happy when she sees an old friend?”

Jack exhales in defeat, pushing his long bang up. Even with a slightly grim face, he joins the hug.

The others occupants in the room muse at the display. Funny how their reaction somehow mimics that of Maki just a moment prior, feeling a bit intrusive. Soon enough, the three break off.

“How are the others?”

“They are doing well. The runts have grown, they can take care of themselves. Mostly.”

“I see… and Kokichi?”

“He’s fine, too. A little more bratty, but sufferable.”

“Did he... say anything about me?”

“...No. Guess he’s still kind of pissed. But it’ll be okay. You know how he is. Give him some time and he’ll warm up to you.”

“I… doubt that.” 

“Maki-nee… how did you find this place?”

The woman, Queen, casts her gaze to the side, a little uneasy with the straight-forward question.

“Are you here to…”

Maki stammers to find the words, still dazed from the turn of events. Kaito interrupts.

“It’s me. I instructed her to come here.”

“You did…?” The jester grimaces. “Do you know who she is?”

“Yes, I do.” As Jack is ready to argue, the boy quickly shuts it down. “But I know she means no harm. So it’s safe for us to take her in.”

“Wait, no, Kaito, what do they mean?” It's Kaede’s turn to speak. As the leader, it’s only natural for her to be concerned.

The astronaut exchanges looks with said girl as if asking for her consent. The girl grabs at her side, refusing to return the gesture. Kaito scratches the back of his head, preparing himself to narrate the uncelebrating story.

"Right. So uh,... I met Maki Roll the other day. Then for some reasons, I keep bumping into her. So we just sorta hang out. We talked, got to know each other a bit."

"Which was mainly just you rambling about space and other stupid things."

"Hey! Space is not stupid! It's incredible! And you liked it. You even asked me about it today!"

"It was simply to kill time. And you would have done so without my input anyways."

"And it was nice. Maki is a good listener."

"And based on that alone, you concluded that you can put full trust in her and let her in the hideout." Jack's squints in disdain. "You're not just a space idiot. You're the biggest buffoon in the universe. Even a blackhole has more matter than your brain." He states evenly.

"Stop insulting my intelligence! And blackholes are extremely packed with matters, dammit! Get your facts right!" The astronaut crosses his arms in indignance. “Back to the topic, I found out. Maki is more capable than she lets on.”

“You mean able to snap every bone in your body.”

“Maki Roll! You are not helping your own case here! So yeah, I figured out she’s also an Ultimate in need. It only fits that she can come with us. Besides, the situation was quite tight and we had to act quickly” he nervously looks at the person on the couch, “and Maki is fast, so the best option was for Shuichi to lead her here.”

“So you ultimately allowed her to enter because Diamond was in danger.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” He admits. 

“I see, then it can’t be helped.” Jack moves towards the comfy couch, peering over the girl’s sleeping form. “In that case, we should be thankful you made that choice.”

“Maki…”, Queen addresses, tapping on her forearm. “Can I take it that you will stay here?” 

"..."

"Please say you will. Leave that place, Maki. For you sake, and for our sake."

"..."

"We miss you. Everyone misses you. Yuna's still wearing twintails like how you did for her. Kousuke and Ruuto whine all the time since none of us are hyped enough to spar with them. Midori is just sad overall. And Shinya is heading to his early grave because you aren't there to keep the measly kids in line. The old man is so sick of the stchicks, haha. Yuuta here propped a shrine in his room just to pray for your come back…"

"Hey!"

"Even Kokichi…"

"..."

"He never voices it out loud, but he probably wants you back the most. Kokichi… changed a lot, Maki. That little conniving cretin is even more distant now… sometimes we can't even tell if he's scheming something behind our back. We are worried that one day the little brat would go ahead and do something reckless and get himself injured and we couldn’t do a thing! You've always been the one to pull him out of troubles."

"...Miki, I…"

"So please, Maki. I don't know why you chose this. But clearly you are not happy. Free yourself from their chains! Don't worry about anything, we have your back!"

"I can't." She says flatly like it was the sole principle of the universe.

Queen's visage contorts, unable to comprehend the instant rejection.

The girl in red is still in place, opting not to respond right away. In the same manner, she refuses to look at any of the attendees. Maki sways in place, then stills like a rock. The silence is damning, telling nothing, but at the same time tells a lot. Shuichi does not know anything besides lines exchanged at surface level, yet he can sympathize with the behaviours exhibited. The others must have shared the same sentiment, because none of them make any moves. 

When you don’t have anything to say, you say nothing. When you have too much to say, you also say nothing. Though both seem to apply to this instance.

The ambience becomes heavy once again, mainly due to the tense posture of the three new occupants. 

“Why…?”

“I… have done horrible things.” She mumbles to no one, before steeling her resolve. “These hands are not clean in the slightest, if you get what I mean. Letting me stay would be the worst decision you can come up with.”

“Maki!”, Kaito shouts, disbelieving. “You seriously want to get yourself kicked out? You know talking about yourself like that would just dampen you further!”

“So what? It’s the truth. At least they deserve to know what they’re dealing with. Which brings back to the point, I’m a hitwoman. They give me a target, and I eliminate it, plain and simple."

"Oh sick. You jinxed us, Angie." Miu helpfully comments.

"Angie only tells what Kamii-sama told her."

"By the way, my current target is Saihara over there, who is too much of a wimp to call me outright.”

“You what?!”

Oh boy, Shuichi mentally smacks himself in the face. Of course it would fall out like this.

“He discovered that I was sent to detain him, and he gave himself up right away.” No, come on, she doesn’t have to add that.

Gasps sound throughout the room. The boy wishes he was as small as Thumbelina so that his hat can take him completely. If only life were a fairytale, then miracles or oracles or whatever would help him out of this mess. 

“Shuichi, we discussed this!”, exclaimed Kaede, exasperated.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Anyhow, now that I exposed myself, it should give you more reasons not to allow my stay.”

“No! If those shitheads can’t get to you, then you don't have to do whatever the hell they make you. Assignments, or… whatever! You are free! You can be your own person!”

“It’s not that simple, Momota. You don’t know what they are capable of. I'm always in their reach no matter where I am. Don’t go out of your way and shove your ideas down my throat. I never agreed to stay with you, nor to abandon my current work either.”

“Then what the hell can they do? They are not here! They can’t do shit! They don’t know where the hell you are!”

“They can kill me wherever I am! Is it that hard to grasp?", Maki hisses, her breath rushes out like a broken dam.

Kaito is speechless, because any words he is about to spew in that moment is knocked out of his lungs. Shuichi himself is also astounded. It shouldn’t be all that surprising, considering all the ruthlessness surrounding the whole thing. Still the dramatic revelation manages to stash away any coherent arguments to counter her point. 

“The people, back in the branch, installed an explosive device on my heart. I take too long to return, they’ll detonate it. And then that’s it. The end.”

“What the…”

“Maki-nee…”

“I can’t follow you. I don’t have a choice. Never did! So don’t just sit there and blabber your mouth on how I'm supposed to live! You don’t know  _ two-shit _ !” She spits as her legs fleet brisky towards the door.

“Maki!”

*SLAM!* The brunt force sends a shiver through the air.

The stomping fades into the distance.

“Tch. Presumptuous male behavior. Never understands a maiden’s heart.”

“Tenko, I don’t think it’s appropriate for this situation.”

“Someone is unfortunate enough to be decimated the moment they disobey. We really are nothing but exploitable goods to them, huh?” Ryoma reflects ruefully to himself..

“Yeah, can we all agree space idiot here fucked up big time.”

"That's totally off the track", the tennis pro mumbles.

Kaito is stiff as a statue, eyes stuck longingly at where Maki just exited. Shuichi cannot see his chain of thoughts, but it’s clear that the guy is conflicted. Jack, taking it as his cue, explains.

“Maki-nee belongs to a line of combat Ultimate. She’s designed to be the Ultimate Assassin. So believe it or not, she’s dangerous.” He turns to the lot of astonished Ultimates, specifically at Kaito. “I sympathize why you want to help her that badly. We have known Maki-nee since young. Deep down, she’s not a horrible person, and she helped with our upbringing. However, there isn’t much we can do for her, not at the moment.” 

He leans down to scoop the little girl into his arm. “Queen and I are only here to retrieve Diamond. Sorry you guys are pulled into this ruckus. Though I can say it’s a blessing in disguise, huh? I don’t think she is going to rat you all out to the GEHPs, but it’s best that we don’t take any more risks. Today has testified enough for that.”

Jack somberly trudges to the entrance, Queen trails after him. “We’ll tell Boss to arrange you a new place. But if you see him, don’t tell him the real reason. Just say the roof is sogged or something…”

*BAM!*

Just as he finishes the sentence, the wooden door chips off and crumples unceremoniously to the ground.

“Cool. Now you have an excuse. What a lucky day. Well, then. Thank you for looking after our little sister. We owe you one. Goodbye.”

The DICE members leave, but heavy apprehension stays, at least for Shuichi. Because, naturally, some people are not happy with him serving himself to the tiger. 

“Shuichi”, starts Kaede. “What got into you? Why did you pull some stupid  _ shit _ like that?”

She does not advance, instead her glare burns through the sticky air, through the hat he uses to cover himself. Shuichi hates being stared at, and at the present that sentiment is growing second by second. Parts because it’s from someone he’s fond of. Parts because he supposes he hasn’t done anything wrong. He only did so for the sake of everyone. There was no telling how far the pursuer was willing to go to get him with them, so he had to act first, before any casualties. 

Although he can’t fault her for being angry.

“Um… can we discuss this tomorrow? It has been a long day, and everyone is exhausted.”

Kirumi clears her throat as she interrupts. “I think that would be the most favourable option. Kaede, I understand that these circumstances do not sit right with you, but neither do they with us. However, a lot happened today. We all need to take a break and process what just transpired. We will discuss these matters, but please, postpone it until tomorrow when everyone is well-rested and clear-minded.”

Shuichi, under his cap, doesn’t see Kaede’s full expression, but he imagines she is thoughtful for a while before calling it off. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pressure you. But we’ll talk it out tomorrow, Shuichi.”

“Then we call it a day-”

“What a gloriously fuckery day! What day full of shitstumps and cu-”

“Shush. I’ll make something light for dinner and we all take a good rest, sound good?”

“Nyeh...whatever...just hurry up already, i’m tired. My limbs are all sore…”

“You need a massage, Himiko? Tenko can give you one!”

“You’re loud. Shut up and let me be…”

Despite shooing her, the magician lazily leans on the other girl. Rantarou chuckles as he pats lightly on Korekiyo’s shoulder, whose eyes are still red from crying. Gonta follows Kirumi into the kitchen, insists that he helps and Ryoma chills with the cat in his seat. They slip back into the routine, enjoying normality while it still lasts.

Except for Kaito, who spares glances at the door here and there. 

…

Morning shines wordlessly the next day. The night before was indescribably short, possibly because of how tired he was yesterday. 

Shuichi props himself up from the futon, feeling the restlessness in his arms and legs. Kaito is lying on his back, unmoving, but not sleeping either, as his eyelids are visibly open. 

“Good morning, Kaito.” He greets.

“Yeah, morning to you, too. Shuichi.”

Shuichi gets himself ready. Rather than doing so deliberately, his body moves on its own out of practised motion. His movements hold no weight at all, as all the energy has been channeled to run his meat lump of a brain.

Yesterday has been a close call. His closest friend could have died. A whole night taking in that fact doesn't do much help for his state of shock. Even back when he was working at the detective agency, both uncle and him hardly stumbled upon any life-threatening danger.

Days of being locked in the hideouts only exaggerates this false sense of security. So when things go south, it's like a hard slap to the face. And damn does it sting.

But what can Shuichi do, though? For now he's best be good-for-nothing detective stay home like a good boy. Because when the pandemic is rampaging outside, good citizens will practice quarantine, right?

His chain of internal rambling goes on and on. He exits the bathroom in hope that Kaito's usual optimism and zealousness would motivate him somehow…

If only the man is not such a lost cause that morning.

Said man is slumping limply on his mattress, not bothered to greet the morning light. He said his greetings, out of courtesy more than anything, and lay there like a rock.

"Kaito, the bathroom is empty. You can use it."

"Ye, ye get it. Thanks man. I'll join later."

He replies and turns, no longer facing Shuichi.

" 's okay, man. I just need some time to think.”

As much as he wants to be there for Kaito, he doesn't believe prying his mouth open would do any good. Shuichi learns from first-hand experience, that if someone is avoiding the topic, it’s best that it’s disregarded all together, then a proper discussion can be saved for later. Any time one party forces it, the conversation would either: spin around like a cat chasing its tail, or totally spiral out of control. Timid Shuichi is not keen on finding out which it will be. 

So he gathers his courage and does the most 'bromantic' gesture the other taught him.

With a slightly trembled hand, he pats on Kaito's shoulder, with his whole palm firmly in contact.

"Then see you down there."

Then he closes the door, nearly misses the astronaut's half-hearted snicker.

…

"Eeekk!!! Get that thing away from me!"

"No! You ruined all of my magical apparatus, spilled half of the potions and dirtied my one and only Mystical Sorceress' Garmentum!"

"You blasted Tenko's favourite shirt!"

"Miu ruined Angie's sculptures."

"Well screw your sculptures, your clothes and whatever you flat-chested chuunibyou is yammering! No one, and especially not this golden girl, deserved to have a big-ass roach shoved at their face!"

"Come on, Miu, the roach is harmless. It can't bite you~"

"That's right, don't be scared, Miu. Cockroaches are our friends and are vital to our ecosystem!", sings Gonta.

"As if, Big D! Those teensie crawlies are the are the biggest fucking abomination ever existed."

"Now, Miu~ be good or Gonta and little roach friend here will be sad…", Angie croons as she holds the tissue closer…

"Heeeeeekkkk!!"

Skipping the quintet's skits, Shuichi sits at the table, unbothered.

"Good morning, Shuichi." Kirumi bids as she offers him two large sandwiches.

"Good morning. You too, Kaede."

The girl across the table momentarily turns her head to face him. She waves while looking away, not offering a word.

Shuichi sways a bit nervously in his seat and opts to pay attention to the maid. 

"DICE contacted me this morning. They have already prepared a new place for us."

"So quick?"

"Yes. I must admit, despite being mischievous tricksters, they can be surprisingly productive when the situation calls for it. Our group has benefited a lot thanks to that. Anyways, Miu was up awfully early this morning. That made her the first one, aside from me, to hear this news. She was oddly excited, saying this was her chance to test out her new invention."

“So she barged into our room and sprayed it full of glitter and sticky rainbow paint!” Shouts Tenko huffily from the other side of the room. “Tenko does not want to convict a fellow female, but no one is allowed to disrupt Himiko-sama’s deep slumber!”

“And you wrecked all of Kamii-sama’s beautiful creations, too. Angie, as his vessel, can be forgiving, but Kamii-sama definitely won’t show you mercy after such blasphemy.”

“That some crackpot level bullshit over there! Who would worship that kind of petty-ass god?”

Angie shoves the tissue with the cockroach closer, a mere inch away from the inventor’s profusely sweating face. The six appendages of the creature poking out of the tissue, wriggling in enthuse. 

“NO! PLEASE! I’m SORRY! I’M SORRY ANGIE-SAMA! PLEASE GET THAT THING OUT OF MY GORGEOUS FACE!” Squeals Miu in terror, trying to escape Tenko’s chokehold.

“Do you acknowledge your wrongdoing and repent your sins in the face of Kamii-sama?”

“Yes! Yes! Please! I’ll do anything, just let me go!”

“Do you promise to acknowledge Kamii-sama’s presence and revere his endless charity and wisdom?”

“Hhhh…”

“Alright. She got her lesson, I think that’s enough, Angie.” Himiko interrupts, gesturing to the bundle of tissue in her hand. At her request, Angie concedes. “Kamii-sama will overlook this incident. Miu should still follow his wisdom, though. It would certainly help with your case.”

The artist hands the tissue over to Gonta, who cups it eagerly. “Here you go, Gonta.”

The boy’s eye twinkles as the little bug lands on his caring hands. “Hello, little fella. You’re so cute! Don’t worry. Gonta is going to free you.”

“Not in the house, please, Gonta. Take it outside.” Kirumi, with the attitude of a mother nursing her bunch of 3-year-olds, advises. 

“Okay!”, and Gonta, good boy he is, too happily complies. 

When the whole ordeal finally ends(gosh, where do they get that much energy in the morning) Shuichi digs into his meal. Kirumi dutifully returns to her other tasks.

The leaves Kaede the only other person taking the seat. With the clamour subsides, the room becomes ironically a bit too suffocating with only two presences. The girl is fumbling with the hairpin in her hair, a cute little music note. She never takes it off, he notices.

Shuichi feels the urge to initiate a conversation, possibly kickstarting it with the topic about the hairpin, because this uncongenial non-interaction is getting on his nerves. Being a high-class introvert with platinum VIP membership card, the boy is more than comfy cocooning in his shell in another’s presence. However, when the other presence has its name starts with the letter “K” and ends with “aede”, the shell feels more like a cage imprisoning him. Part probably because Kaede seems to intentionally distance herself from him, part because, beats him, he likes conversing with her. 

Listening to Kaito’s bravados and mundane banters is entertaining enough. But Kaede is a bit different. Per usual, she joins with their mirths, puts up with their playful antics,yet at the same time, motivates, represents their voices, and makes critical decisions. There are instances when she is gentle and serene, then others stern and unforgiving. She’s accepting, and at the same time nitpicking. It is as if, Kaede is two persons at once, and which one is the true Kaede is the question of the century. 

And with how their positions are playing, now she’s definitely the second one. 

“H-Hey, Kaede, how’s your leg?”, screw it. He breaks off first. 

The girl snaps her attention to him, not expecting the sudden attempt at conversation. 

“It’s okay. Still stinging a bit, but better now. Thanks for the concern.”

“That’s good to hear, but you should rest more. Yesterday was a lot to take in.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m well over it. Not even a scratch, see?” She faintly gestures to her torso, “Totally intact.”

That is a better reaction than he would expect. After the train wreck that he would describe the day before, Kaede, who must have taken the hardest hit, is still fine after one night, or at least she seems to be. Although, putting that aside, they do have other knots to untie. “Um, so about what we discussed…”

And the disgruntled girl just has to do a full 180. “Oh right! I promised to practice piano with you yesterday, Shuichi! Too bad we had to cancel it. No problem. I can arrange you a make-up session this afternoon!”

“No! It’s not that. And won’t you be busy packing your stuff?”

“Nah! Both Miu and I already had our whole things packed. We hardly unloaded anything when we moved to this place. And...” she cuts off to put a tint of gentleness, “yes. We do have something to discuss.”

They retreat into comfortable silence. There is no need to say anything else, because all will be resolved by that afternoon. For now, the two are content just taking it slow and be prepared for whatever comes next.

A deafening shriek slashes through the air. 

“Holy Shit! That little CUCK can fly!”

The wordless truce is broken in a tick tock, bursted like a balloon, replaced with the whirring of an insect’s flapping. A cockroach to be exact, and now that the thing is out of the tissue and in full view… the FUCK? That shit is HUGE!

“Gonta is sorry! Roachie escaped my hand and she smelled food!”

“What the hell is “Roachie”?!”

Himiko hunches over, making herself as small as possible to put as much distance as she wants from the hovering infest. Tenko, ever the chivalrous white knight, comes to the rescue. “Don’t be scared, Himiko! Tenko will protect you!”, she shouts with all valiance as she grabs the newspaper sitting nearby and rolls it up into a makeshift bat.

“Kamii-sama has spoken, everyone calm down. Roachie is only a friend in need. We should not frighten but instead welcome her with open arms.”

“Stop your nonsense and do something, dammit! My gorgeous face is in danger once, and it cannot tolerate a second round!”

“You are not helping. Everyone gets out of the way.” KIrumi steps out the kitchen, a can of bug-repellant in hand.

“No! Kirumi please don’t hurt Roachie!”, cries the giant man.

“Don’t worry, Gonta. This repellant is non-toxic to bugs. It would only incapacitate her for a while.”

“Yeah! Be thankful. I made that shit!”, shouts Miu while curling up under the table. 

Tenko is still flailing the rolled-up newspaper in no certain directions, ready to swat the hellish aviating creature down once it enters her 1m radius. As chaos explodes in the living area, a new face shows up, puzzled by the charade.

“Oh, hey, good morning. What’s so loud?” Rantarou, with his famous laid-back pose, is standing at the feet of the staircase. Unfortunately for the unsuspicious boy, the morphing tank of destruction has taken his smooth skin as the perfect landing site, and settles down on his face.

“Eh?”, utters the poor boy as his face grows paler.

“Hold still! You degenerate!”, Tenko screams bloodily and lunges at him. With the weapon in hand, she swings down the deadly strike.

“Ehhhhhh?”

“No! Tenko, that’s to risk-”

*SLAP!*

…

“6 yellow.”

“6 red.”

“8 red. “

“Okay, skip. Tenko’s turn”

Shuichi positions himself awkwardly in the table, with him being the only one not joining in the game of UNO. The boy is unoccupied, so he just appears anywhere convenient, which is the girl trio’s blasted room. Miu is squealing nearby, scrubbing off bits of colors and glitter coating almost every inch of the walls and furniture. Apparently, this is her “punishment” for causing the mess.

Rantarou also participates in the game, one hand holding his collection of cards, the other nudging an ice-pack to his swollen cheek. Shuichi can only imagine what being whacked by Tenko feels like. It must be sore to just move the muscles on his face. Yet for some reasons, the miracle guy is still displaying his care-free grin, albeit a little strained. He is trying his best, Shuichi takes note. 

“Okay! Wild Draw Four! Let’s see, Angie picks blue. Himiko, draw 4 cards!” The artist sings. 

The Magician, at her calling, lazily glazes over her pile of card, and smirks in brief triumph. Without a care in the world, she sets down the card of victory, only one more in her hand. Before any of the other players can call on her, she shouts, “Uno!”

The handed down card is revealed to be another Wild Draw Four, which means the next person is forced to draw eight more cards. That is, if they don’t have another Wild Draw Four or a blue Draw Two in their possession. Tenko, the next one in line, squints at the pair of cards, then at her own pile, then back at the pair, then at her own pile… Her face twists in deep thought, debating whether to set down her card or to just take the fall and move onto the next one, who happens to be Rantarou. 

She is thinking hard. Her hand is hovering above a certain card in her pile, glaring at the “degenerate” next to her, particularly at his busted cheek. Finally, after some thorough and ample calculation, Tenko draws 8 cards on top of the deck, gathers spreaded cards into one neat stack and pouts in feigned annoyance. 

The boy, acting oblivious to the mercy granted to him, sets down his second last card. 

“Uno!” He says, as he drops another Wild Draw Four. The Aikido Master chokes on her spit. “Four up, Angie.”

“Boohoo! Rantarou’s meanie! Angie was almost there already!”

“Haha, sorry. Showing weaknesses in an UNO game is a death sentence. Oh, and color green.”

Both Himiko and Tenko collectively groan as they subsequently draw one card each from the deck. 

“And… I win!” With his last card brandished, the boy with green hair emerges victorious and cheers. 

“Hmmph! Angie’s angry! Angie is not playing anymore!” The artist exclaims as she lets her pile fall unceremoniously to the ground. 

“Nyeh! I’m getting tired of this too. This game has been going on for hours…”, and true to her words, the game lasted for almost three hours straight, with the participants respectively reaching Uno and having the last step to winning snatched away. UNO is a weird game, sometimes it takes only a good few ten minutes, sometimes it’s eternity long.

“Alright, the game is over. Business’ done here. You degenerates get out of this room! Shoo, shoo!” Tenk demands, instantly hushes the boys out of her room.

“Eh? But I won, don’t I get a prize or something?”, Rantarou chuckles jokingly.

“Your prize is one free ticket out of here. Else, Tenko will kick you out herself. Now scram!” She pushes him out towards the door, countering the boy’s teasing reluctance to leave. Shuichi follows behind the two of them, now that the session is over. However, he holds back the steps as Angie tugs on his sleeve. 

“Psss, Shuichi…”, she hands him a small decorated box. “Give this to Korekiyo tomorrow. It’s a present from Angie.”

The boy observes the little object in his hand, gears in his head turning. Sure, he knows it’s nothing worth worrying about, still, the ex-detective can’t help but be inquisitive. 

“Hey, Angie. Not that I’m complaining, but why don’t you give it to him yourself?”

At the inquiry, the artist pouts and Shuichi fears he may have asked the wrong question. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. 

“Tomorrow it’s a special day for Korekiyo. Nevertheless, Angie is still a little mad at him about yesterday”, the girl mischievously makes the ‘tiny gesture’ with her hand, “and Kamii-sama said she doesn’t have to force herself into anything, so Angie won’t deliver it to Korekiyo herself. She can’t ask Rantarou, though, because he will get angry and scold Angie.”

“Hey, what are you two wishwashing about?”, said boy, now far past the threshold, chimes in at the mention of his name.

“Nothing!~”, Angie hums happily as if she is not sneaking something behind his back. Then as the other boy turns away, she takes the opportunity to slip in a last few words to Shuichi. “Make sure it reaches him tomorrow, alright. Try to do it with a smile, too!” The artist pokes her two puffy cheeks and grins toothily. “See ya later, Shuichi!”

…

Shuichi is back in his shared room, trying to get Kaito downstairs with him.

Lunch has passed. Prior to that, the boy tried to convince his roommate to join the collective meal as they are moving out soon. To his dismay, the astronaut only responded with a lethargic “I’ll be there later” and skipped lunch and breakfast all together. And Shuichi, now terribly concerned of his roommate’s health, both physically and mentally, is attempting the same aid Kaito gave him on his first day upon arrival.

Kaito was there to motivate him. He also frequently uplifts the raven boy’s mood by constantly switching from encouragements and praises to constructive comments about Shuichi’s poor habits. Not much has changed, but the endeavours are greatly appreciated, especially since not many people show that much care to Shuichi throughout his 18 years of life, aside from his uncle. A few times when Shuichi made an effort to thank him, the guy always brushes it off as something trivial, something as “A hero never fails his sidekicks”.

And then yesterday happened, and Kaito’s spirit has never plummeted this low. So Shuichi thinks, he would like to be there for his friend, too. 

If only he knows how. 

“Come on, Kaito. You’ve missed both meals today, and we still have a long day ahead of us. It’s not going to be good for your health. Didn’t you say heros must always be in their top form?”

At this, the astronaut flinches. It was a subtle gesture, but did not escape the ex-detective’s eyes. Shuichi chides himself for saying something insensitive. 

“Um... , you know I only want the best for you, right?”, too easily, he reverts back into his timid self. Shuichi winces at his own pathetic attempt of appeal. His brain is running at full capacity to assess his next lines “Hey, Kaito…”

“Were you scared?”

“Eh?” Shuichi's thoughts halt at the abrupt question. 

“Were you scared, yesterday, when you learnt that Maki was sent after you?”

“I…” Honestly, what should he respond with? Any answer, whether “yes” or “no”, seems to be the worst thing he could say in this situation. 

"So you were, weren't you. I suppose that makes sense. Some random stranger came into the house and they turned out to be your to-be kidnapper. Just when I thought losing Kaede is enough…", the astronaut mumbles to himself emotionlessly, back still turned on him. Somehow that scares him even more. 

Normally, it's much easier to deal with conversations without eye contact, then why now...

"No, Kaito, you don't…"

"And yet you still faced her head-on. While I..." The line is left there, unfinished. The vague sensation bubbling underneath the surface nags its speaker at the tip of his tongue. Spill it, spill it, it says, but the soundless air tells another muffled story.

'No, Kaito, you don't understand, it's not your fault. You made the best decision at the time.'

And abruptly, his friend whips around, a big smile splitting his cheeks and his eyes are too wrinkled to be deemed comfortable. 

“Heh! That’s my sidekick! You have grown so much that even I can’t help but feel like a big ‘ol proud dad! Although it would be even greater if you had told me about your discovery first!” He’s looking straight ahead, but passes through Shuichi’s body right in front of him.Shuichi, for all of his aversion to eye contact, cannot resent this lack of connection any less. “Shouldering every burden by yourself is not the way to go, Shuichi! You have your trustee Kaito right here, don’t you?”

For some reason, the sudden burst of energy catches him off guard. The whole display is revolving like a carousel, bright and jolly, but at the same time dizzying. In a way too amicable gesture, Kaito slaps on his back, all while laughing like, as he said, a proud dad when his kid scores an A-grade. (Similar to Fuutarou’s seldom soulless praises)

_ ‘Why are you saying so but pretends as if I’m not here?’ _

“I would have found a way to conciliate you two! Maki Roll is not that bad you know. My two sidekicks would have gotten along great!”

_ ‘Look at me, Kaito. Please look at me-’ _

*Knock knock.*

The world stops spinning. All attention then directed at the door, even Kaito breaks his indifferent stance, curious of the mysterious newcomer.

As the standing person, Shuichi takes it as his responsibility to see who is on the other side. Turning the door knob, he peeks out. The other new occupant is not someone he expected.

It’s Tenko’s green eyes that greets him, a tray of food in her hands. 

“Jeez, you degenerate can’t show some respect, huh? Stop looking at me like I’m some aliens.”

The girl casually walks up to Kaito’s bed and sets the tray on the lamp table. 

“Tch! What lousy male you are, making everyone wait”, she chides in annoyance, then points at Shuichi. “And by the way, Kaede told me to remind you of your appointment.”

Ah, yes, the appointment, but…

“Come on, it’s rude to keep a girl waiting. Get out of here and get to her!” She whines, whilst shoving the boy out of the room. 

“But…!”

“No buts! And if I catch you upsetting Kaede, you better watch out!” And she slams the door at his face. The ambience outside is a complete opposite of the gloomy one in Kaito and his shared bedroom. Only then that he noticed, the Aikido master just locked herself with a degenerate that she destests so much, for an unknown reason. 

From inside, Tenko’s reprimanding voice can be heard, although it’s impossible to make out what is being said. Shuichi would like to re-enter the room to make sure there’s no unwanted scuffle happening, afterall, Tenko and Kaito are infamous for their regular clashing. However, on second thought, he decides against it, realizing his weak presence would not be able to do much anyways. 

He only hopes the short-tempered girl would not throw his friend out of the window from the second storage. 

…

Soft notes dance in the air, making the boy want to sway along with the melody. 

And just as usual, he waits for the euphony to reach its crescendo, when it would conclude with the last few chronicle solemn tunes. 

When all is done, Kaede signals him to take a seat next to her. The boy does just so, his fingers poised above the piano keys. 

“Now, gently press down the C note”, she instructs. “Feel the pitch and tone of the note. Now the one next to it… Yes. Just like that. Try to remember its timbre for me…”

The way she teaches, is peculiar, to say the least. His tutor is now requiring him to memorize by heart the sound of each note. “Remember it to the point you can play my speech on this piano”, she said and Shuichi tells himself that was a little impossible. 

Regardless, Kaede teaching is fun and easy to understand, and in the span of two days, the boy is already able to read simple scores and play them, albeit not as proficient as the Ultimate Pianist over here, of course. The girl is delivering the lesson confidently, without a trip or pause, and is always aware when her student makes a slight ‘confused’ face, without Shuichi even needing to guide her attention to it. It is as if she is used to this style teaching, at least when it comes to piano. 

“Okay, we have been going on for a while now”, she notes. “You should take a rest. Taking all that information in at once can be challenging. I know you are smart, but memorization takes a lot of energy and effort, so let’s call it a day. Plus, I wanna talk to you.”  _ “about what happened yesterday” _ , he mentally added. 

He doesn’t forget probably the main reason he is summoned here, though a small part of him hopes it wouldn’t come up in this conversation. 

The girl, either oblivious to his dilemma, or solely chooses to ignore it as she starts the spiel while playing the piano. 

“You see… “, the song kicks off with an easy breeze, “music has always been part of life. Birds chirping, rustling of the river under the bridge,... Sound is vibrance, liveliness. Silence is stillness and terrifying. So talents about music are bliss.”

The music hastens its pace, showing a more dazzling scenery where fledging buds bloom into bright pigments of spring. “So created babies with musical talents, they did. And there is this pair of twins, who are made just to play piano! The pair practice piano all days and nights, just as they were told to, without complaints, because pianos are the best! Or at least, one of the sisters thought so. Unfortunately, the other sister was deemed the better one out of the two, and received all the praises. This saddened the one who loved piano. But that’s okay! She could just try her best and improve to the best of her abilities! And that’s right! She can ask her sister to help her with the practices, too!”

The tunes grow in warmth, happy and merry, blith with tittering tiptoes. “Her sister was a little annoyed at first, because she was a tad cynical, but agreed to teach her at the end. The girl who loved piano was ecstatic, she practiced all day, dreaming for one day she would be just as good as her sister, and the sister, though not being open, was secretly grateful for her enthusiasm. Life was tranquil. All things were good.”

A low note sounds, abruptly cutting through the picture of vivid life. The sequence swings and jittery pings commences, shattering that image into pieces. “Then one day, fate took a full turn and their life was flipped upside down. No more oblivious joy and pure heartfelt music." Soulless monotonous tunes ring. “Only distrust and betrayal.”

“However, even in the face of newfound seclusion and fear, the two sisters had each other. And that was all they needed. When everything else turned its back on them, they would never turn their backs to each other. That in itself is a priceless gift, and a blessing.” A light “ping!”, and the entire composition falls apart. “Although soon enough it was turned into a curse.”

“The sister, out of her love for her flesh sibling, took a bullet in a raging sense of protection and selflessness. She didn’t survive, and the only other sister was left devastated. Why did it have to happen? What kind of cruel, sick maniac would play with their life like this? Why did my sister have to die? In my place?!” The notes are now all jumbled, Kaede’s delicate hand slam onto the keypads, producing screeching, excruciating sounds. 

“Why does it have to be so cruel? Our parents, heartless passerbys, the society… this world… my sister...”

The symphony has stopped completely, dead. Kaede wipes off the tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. “I don’t want it to happen again, Shuichi.” The pianist shifts in her seat, facing him. Her amethyst eyes link with his dull gold for a brief second. The streaks of purple in her irises swirl with the flow of fluid, glistening under the yellow light. 

For a moment, he was mesmerized. Soon after, his stagnant mind recalls its own hatred to the gaze, and quickly pulls down the brim of his cap.

Kaede catches his hand as he attempts to hide from her. As the last ditch effort, Shuichi evades her look of concern. 

“Sometimes… sacrifices have to be made.” He gulps, bitter. “And if the sacrifice of an unimportant individual benefits the large body in the long run,.. It is a meriting one.”

“Nothing is merited if it’s a person who was lost.”

His mind is shut off, any counter-argument vanishes in a millisecond. Or rather, he doesn’t want to voice it out. Everything about it would be too intimate, too personal, and the boy is afraid that his deepest, darkest torments would flow out like streams. Oozes that are kept hidden in a dark corner for all his life. 

“You still view yourself as such, huh…”, she states, part in disappointment. 

He steers to the side. 

“I should have expected as much.” Slowly, with a tender and caring touch, the girl removes the black cap from his head. Shuichi can’t help but flutter his eyelids at the change in brightness. The upper part of his skull feels naked. He feels exposed, cold, bare, yet for some reason, not violated. It was almost natural, like this is the right course of action to take, that everything is progressing the way it is supposed to. 

And just as naturally, they meet. 

“But do you know, Shuichi? I think that’s not truly how you think. Can you guess why?”

Her other hand brushes against the fabric of his shirt, just for a non-existent instant, and fixated above where his heart is beating. “It’s kind of redundant at this point, but I have really good ears. They are especially sensitive to human’s motions, the little rustles of the clothes, the soft pops of the joints, breathing patterns, and… heartbeats.” The girl cites with a sorrowful smile. “Your beat rhythms, aches whenever you say yourself are not important, even if only very faintly. And I know. These ears pick up everything in small instances. It is what they are made to do. And truly, I don’t think you are.” 

The hand pulls back to and holds onto the space between them. The fist balls gently, but resolutely, pulling out lines that reside deep from the bottom of the heart. 

“I am grateful for you being here. Not for any particular reason, just for you being you. I don’t need you to go out and do the work. I don’t need you to help with the chores. You don’t have to do anything. Simply your presence is enough because things changed after you arrived. And if you just one day suddenly disappear on us, then all those changes would be for nothing. Didn’t I tell you so many times, Shuchi? We  _ want  _ you here. Giving yourself up without a word wouldn't be a selfless thing to do. It would be the most selfish thing you could have done. That’s why… Shuichi?”

“...”

“Geez, it’s already hard talking like this. Can’t you make it a bit easier for me?”

“I-I’m sorry… “ Huh? Why is his voice? “There’s… too much… *sob* I don’t know what’s happening anymore…”

With an exhale of relief, she giggles. “Well, I don’t know what happened in the past, letting it eat you away is not very healthy. And you should wear your hat less.”

“Huh?”

“Your eyes are really pretty now that there’s so much light shone in it!”

…

About another hour and they will be moving. Shuichi doesn’t have much to pack, or rather, he doesn’t have anything to pack. The amount of clothing he possesses is non-existent, and he has been relying on Kaito to lend him some while he is here. Though, it’s still better if he asks his roommate to bring some with him.

Talking about Kaito, the worries over him has yet to subside. 

So when he opens the door, both relief and surprise pool over him.

“Kaito, what are you doing?”

“Hmm?” His roommate, who is folding pieces of clothing, answers. A stack of neatly organized clothes lies on the side of the mattress. “Packing, of course! We are moving, right?”

“Well yes, but I mean,… you were…” ‘not even bothered to get up just now’ goes unsaid. Perhaps it’s better that Shuchi doesn’t mention it at all. What happened in the past should stay in the past, even if very recently. Plus, his intuition tells him Kaito would not appreciate being called out. “...nevermind. Can I borrow some clothes again, please? Or I can help you pack. It’s not fair for you to do all the work since we share the closet.”

“No need to bother, sidekick! Mr.Kaito has it ALL taken care of!” The astronaut roars, ever so excited. The man stuffs all stacks of clothes into a medium size backpack, then quickly zips the lock. “All supplies are in here.”

He tosses the bag to Shuichi, who catches it in a flail. 

“Ha! What’s with the suckerpunch face, Shuichi? You can at least give me a thanks, you know?”

“Right, um. Thanks.”

“That’s my sidekick!” He gives a thumbs-up. The astronaut seems to have been back to spirit, grinning from-ear-to-ear. Though how much of it is sincere, there’s few ways to know. Nevertheless, an uplift change is what both of them need at this time, so it is more than welcomed.

“Are you still hungry, though? You haven’t eaten much today, and I doubt just one meal is enough to compensate for it. Do you need me to bring you something else? We still have plenty of time before moving.”

“Thanks, man. But no thanks. Tenko gave me enough, my tummy is filled.” The guy makes a show patting his stomach. “Although she could be more gentle with it. Geez, no need to threaten me…”

“...what did she do?”

“She threatened to throw me out of the window.” He thumbs at the now wide opened windows. “Heh, typical Tenko. I was waist-out of the windowsill before she pulled me back.”

The ex-detective sweats. “Oh, I see.”

“Anyways, our job is done here. Let’s head down.”

…

A pickup van is waiting at the back-end of the alley. The guy with the red Afro is holding the handwheel. 

“Holo! Hello! Chop, chop, kids. Time’s running!”

One by one, packs and luggages are loaded on the trunk. Soon enough, they are ready to go.

Everyone has accommodated themselves in the seats. Kirumi carefully checks all seatbells have been fastened, much to Miu’s bickering, to which she receives another knock on the head. “You don’t put all the effort keeping yourself alive just to get killed in a random accident”, the maid chided. 

“Ugh. Bummer.” Now a pinch. “Ouch!”

“Hey Miu please move a bit to the side you are squeezing Angie.”

“See, Mom? This is why you don’t fasten your seatbelts. Too little help and too much hassles.”

“You are posing that way to suffocate me on purpose Miu! Are you that salty about this morning?”

“Oh hell I don’t! Who’s so petty to get mad about having roaches at their faces? Only the jackasses who do the shoving!”

“Sounds like you’re really salty about it.” Ryoma, who has the front seat all on his own, comments. 

“Shut it, midget! You don’t know the horror of having that slimy creature near your skin!”

“Oh, it landed on my face.” The boy in green hair chuckles, half carrying his plastered cheek to protect it from any potential impact. “No, hard feelings, though.”

“As if there’ll be any hard feelings for a degenerate like you.” The Aikido master crosses her arms in indignance. Himiko in her yawns and is about to fall asleep, not giving a care. 

“Roachies says she is sorry. She’ll behave better next time.”

“What do you mean “next time”?”

The entomologist holds up a transparent box, the creature in question flaps its wings inside said box.

“Holy shit!! Get that thing away from me!” The inventor squeals, jumps from her seat, although unsuccessfully due to the seatbelt, releasing Angie from her compression. The later exhales, finally able to breathe. 

Korekiyo in the seat right behind her sighs as he cuddles his mask, giving up on the absurd display. Kaede besides Miu squints in utter disdain. 

“Hey kid.” Shouts the tennis pro out to him. “There’s some space next to me. Hop in.”

Shuichi pulls on the door by Ryoma’s side, ready to make himself comfortable. The man is a comforting company. His cat, M’match herself is a therapeutic presence. The pair would make the ride at least bearable. For that, Shuichi should feel grateful. 

Just as he unlatches the handle, a sudden realization runs through his mind. 

“Hey, Kaito, why don’t you take a seat yet?”

The man stands in his place, static. He stares at Shuichi with the same carefree smile, minus it has been frozen on his lips and does not react otherwise. 

“Um...Kaito?”

Somehow brought back to reality, the astronaut chortles genially. 

“Haha, sorry. Guess I’m not joining you guys this time.”

A moment passes for it to sink in...

“Wha-? Why?”

Tenko in the backseat smacks her own face, jolting Himiko awake. 

“Hey! You lost your mind, space idiot? What do you mean not joining?”

“It means I’m not joining. I’m staying.”

“Why on Earth would you want to stay?!”

Bickering, mainly from Kaito and Miu, is thrown back and forth. The rest, either are too astounded at the decision to react accordingly, or have this ‘what now?’ look on their faces. Actually, most of them are so done they are doing a collective eye roll.

"Anyways, I have a legitimate reason for not going. You'll have to trust me on this!"

"Yeah! We did. And now we are moving because of it!"

"I know! That's why I have to fix this somehow!"

"Then what are you gonna do? Call Miss Killer and tame her by your senseless bravados? Sorry space boy but we all know it's hopeless. There's no solutions in sight and  _ you know it _ !"

"Then I'll just have to find one. The impossible is possible! All you gotta do is make it so!" The man says with resolution burning, two fists pump together.

"See! There’s the stupid phrase. All talks and no bites."

"We'll just have to wait and see!"

"Tch! Moron…"

Resigning, the inventor settles down in her seat, no longer sees the point to keep debating with the stubborn "space idiot".

Kirumi, who has yet to secure her place, leans outside of the window to see her housemate face-to-face. 

"Nothing is going to change your mind, isn't it?"

"Awww, mom, you know me so well!"

"Fucking simp…" Miu blurted. Keade shushes her.

The other two pretend they didn't hear it.

"Then do as you wish", the maid breathes out a long sigh, "but please make sure to look after yourself. No neglecting eating like you did today. We still keep some changes in the safe, use that."

"Roger, mom."

"At this point, I don't even have the strength to correct that designation anymore. And don't forget to call in everyday. We would like to know if you're safe."

"Got that covered."

And with a courteous nod, she retreats back in the vehicle.

"Hey, Kaito", Kaede speaks out. She halts for a second to contemplate the next words, but opts to put it simple. "Keep well, alright? Don't do anything drastic."

"Gotcha!"

The astronaut turns to face his roommate, or ex-roommate since they won't be sharing room this time.

"You did well, Shuichi! And I mean it! Not just some encouragement not to make you feel bad. Prioritizing others' needs is a good quality to have. Keep that up!"

As he approaches the capped boy, Kaito raises a hand, and strokes the top of his hat.

_ "You did well, Shuichi", uncle Hiroshi offered when he solved his first case. It was a rudimentary one, not much deduction or thinking was required.  _

_ When he walks towards him, the little boy imagined the body of the large adult would venture past him like always. That's okay, however, a sole compliment to him was enough. At least he knew he was of use to someone. _

_ What he didn't expect was his uncle stopping right in front of his small stature, stooped down to meet him in the eyes. For the first time, he learns what another's eyes look like. Gold irises with black outer lining and small, dark pupils, much different than piercing, beastial eyes that he thought of when they punctured through his skin like thousands of needles. _

_ A palm slowly soared, reminding him of his father's latent anger before it exploded on the side of his cheek. _

_ The same palm gently caressed the raven strands on top of his head. _

_ "I'm proud of you." _

A huge, hot, rosy blush blossoms on his face, his ears feel like burning as he petrifies himself to prevent the reflexive recoil.

"Hmm…? Shuichi?"

"N-no, sorry. It's okay. It just feels… weird."

"Oh, oops. My bad." Kaito immediately apologizes as he retracts the intruding hand. "But you're still very naive, Shuichi! Thinking giving yourself up is a wise choice. Seriously, not cool, man. Don't do it again, or I'll get mad."

"... Take care, won't you?"

Kaito's fluid motion clogs in a tick tock, then his lips spread into a wide smile.

"Hehe, what's wrong with you all today? Normally you'll scold me for doing something dumb or the likes, not this cheesy stuff."

"Yeah, cuz I did the job for them, Kaithot! No sense can pass through your rock of a head!" The inventor yells out of frustration, positions herself away from the door to not face him.

Not bothering to respond to Miu's crass language, Shuichi pulls his friend into a tight hug. The guy laughs obnoxiously and returns it, as if he was hugged by millions of stars instead of his best bud.

"See you soon."

"See you soon, too."

And thus, they depart, closing a chapter of misadventure. What is waiting for them ahead, he has no idea. Maybe it will be joy, maybe it will be tears, or a bittersweet mixture of both. One thing is certain, they have yet to reach the epilogue and the snowball is still rolling down the hill, a long way from the satisfying crash and burst. 

As he peers back at the dark alley, Kaito waves at him, a huge grin shining brightly as the stars he always adores, until his silhouette disappears out of sight.

'May all the best comes to him.' Silently, he prays.

…

His gaze lingers on the empty road, where their cluster of misfits has just been minutes ago. 

He wishes them good luck, because from now on, he is going to embark on a one-man journey, until they can be united again as a whole. 

“There’s no telling what lies ahead. But those who give up even before trying cannot call themselves a hero!”

Filled with determination and tenacity, the rising hero grips on. In a perfect sway, he confronts the darkness. The half-hanging jacket valiantly flows behind him like a chivalrous cape. 

And he lets darkness engulfs him. 

…

On top of an abandoned construction, another caped figure witnesses everything unfolds.

“Interesting. This is very interesting. You clowns really believe you can get past me. How adorable. Well, it would only make it even more fun to play!” They sniggers deviously. “Now, let the show commence, shall we? Nishishi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 1 concludes!
> 
> ______
> 
> Lmao. I dunno how you play Uno where you live, but here's how we play it, which is technically just making up some dumb rules and carry on XD.
> 
> ______
> 
> Originally, Maki's reason for not joining would be much crueler than this one(at least to my standard). Then i realized i wanted her to have a chance at a happy ending, too :) so me changed it to some random explosive bois :33 hehe, these bois will play a part as well *evil smile*


	12. Bonus_arc1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contains gags and bonus content for the main story line. Take place a little before chapter 1 until chap 11. 
> 
> Mostly just the kids having fun, but damn there is mood~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: self-depreciation. Just a tiny bit, but you cant be too careful.

  1. Do moms know sleep?



“What are you doing?”, inquires Ryoma as he spots a hunching astronaut by the kitchen door. 

“Shhhh. She might hear you.”

“Yeah, that’s the point. Why are you stalking her from outside of the kitchen?”

“Wha-? No!”, Kaito shouts, as voicelessly as possible, “this is not stalking. I’m simply on a reconnaissance mission, to find out whether moma Kirumi is having enough sleep or not.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you notice? Kirumi is always up the earliest, right?”

“That’s true…”

“She’s always the one to who stays up the latest, right?”

“Also true…”

“Then shouldn’t she be as sleepy as heck every morning? Yet Kirumi somehow stays the most awake and sober out of all of us. All the time! Without fail! Aren't you curious? Does she have magical pills or something, so magic really exists like Himiko claims afterall?!”

“Hey, hush now-”

“What if she’s working herself into the ground but only pretending to be fine for our sake? What if we lose our moma without ever being able to return all the love and affection she so graciously granted us…”

“Hush!”

“Zzzz...”

There stands the maid, still on her feet, back facing them, but unmoving. A light snore sounds throughout the kitchen…

‘SHE’S STAND-SLEEPING?!’

  
  


  1. No hug bugs



“GYaaaaaa!! Again?! That’s the fucking fifth time in a damn week!”, the golden gorgeous girl screams at the top of her lungs. A small, crawly shape scurries under the table, then up to the legs, then…

“Stay still”, says Kirumi in the calmest voice possible in that hideous position. With the trusty swat in hand, she strikes down the deadly sentence. 

The body of the small crawly flies in midair. Time slows… Countless images flash before the insect’s eye as life drips away from that moment...

It drops back first unceremoniously on top of the table. *Squelch*, the finishing blow, just in time for the favourite entomologist to walk in and witness the slay.

“Oh”, blurts him.

“Oh”, blurt them. 

For the next few seconds, no one dares to utter a word, out of shock. 

“You okay, Gonta?”

“Y-yes, Gonta is fine. You did what you have to do…”

“Well then…”

With bits of hesitance, Kirumi gathers the carcass with as much respect as possible and brings it outside for burial.

“You’re sure you are fine, Gonta?”

“Yes, Gonta is fine.”

“You are crying, Gonta.”

“Something got in Gonta’s eyes…*sob* Gonta is… *sob*...” and the whining dies down as the entomologist attempts to suppress it. Mind you that this only serves for the dam to break even more violently and tears come rushing like monsoon flood. 

“GONTA IS SORRY!!!”, he cries and flees from the scene. 

“Wait! Gonta!”

Miu cowering on top of the table remains speechless as she watches it unfold. 

…

“Hey, Kirumi, you mind if I share the room tonight?”, Kaede rubs her eyes, bruised from lack of sleep. Her comfy pink pajama’s wrinkles are barely visible in the lack of light. “Miu is doing her stuff in our bedroom again and I can’t sleep in there since she stinks the whole room.”

“Of course. That won’t be a problem.”

As the maid invites her housemate to their sleepover, she couldn’t help but wonder what their inventor is up to. 

…

“Behold! Hoerumi! My brand new invention, the Ultra-Destruction Mega-potent Pesticide 1.1!”

“Magnificent, Miu. Though may I ask what is this for?”

“What lame question. Can’t you think of anything more interesting? It’s a pesticide, of course, except if your kink-filled brain doesn't know what people spray bugs with.”

“Then may I ask, dear gorgeous Miu-sama, what is the special property of this Ultra-Destruction Mega-potent Pesticide 1.1, since you made it.”   
  


“Gyahaha”, the inventor cracks like fireworks, her spit flies, “I’m glad that you asked. This baby is capable of handling bugs, ya see. You see one nasty cockroach over there, you spray it with this super potent mix. Boom! Problem solved.”

“Wouldn’t that be the normal pesticide?”

“What? Hell no! Don’t go compare my ingenious inventions with some bland household supplies. This is the real shit! It’s made of a neuro-toxin that can incapacitate those bugs in a matter of seconds! Gone are the days of spraying those irritating abominations for hours and they still refuse to die!”

“We can always swat them as usual.”

“Fool! That would just kill the damn fucks.”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“Haven’t you realized? This spray is non-fatal. It would make the bug faint or something, not killing them. And obviously, it’s non-toxic to humans, too, so don’t worry about being poisoned, mom.”

“That’s awfully nice of you. Thank you, Miu.”

“N-no need to thank me, Rumi. Such a feat is nothing for my golden brain.” Despite the attempt to appear nonchalant, the inventor cannot hide her stutter and a slight blush.

“What drove you to make this by the way?”

And in response, very subtly, the inventor’s eyes divert to the giant form of a certain entomologist. She may think Kirumi did not notice, but even such subtlety would not escape the sharp eyes of a maid. 

“Nothing”, she shakes her head lightly, “I just feel like it.”

  
  


  1. Cat



“Korekiyo! Korekiyo!” Calls the entomologist with overflowing enthusiasm.

“Yes, Gonta, my dear?”

As the large guy runs in, in his arms huddled a small ball of striped fur. The small ball stirs, then perks up, revealing clear, large green and blue eyes. “Meow!” 

“Ahh, Ryoma’s cat, I see. No wonder you are excited.”

“Ryoma said to look after M’match while he and Rantarou go get some cat food. 

“This little fella just arrived a few days prior, correct? I can totally see why our tennis pro was so insistent on keeping her. Afterall, felines are incredible creatures. Their presence was tied to human history dating back ten thousand years...”

“Uhum! Uhum!”

“Cats were extremely sacred animal in ancient Egypt and several of their deities were depicted to have cat-like heads…”

“Yep yep!”

“Yet despite such a long history being domesticated, they do not lose their natural predator instincts at all…”

“Gonta agrees. Gonta thinks cat’s cute, too.”

  
  


  1. Outdoor tea



Regrets.

Regrets fill her heart. Regrets blind her eyes. The invisible, yet bitter flavour sitting at the back of her tongue, coupled with it a healthy amount of solitary.

Whose is it? Where is it coming from?

The girl stops and ponders. It certainly isn’t hers, because the bitterness of her hatred is not this poignant, or self-beating. It does not feel like a gigantic weight crushing her chest cavity, nor her guts melting into a gooey mush. 

Her person returns to the present to make sense what leads to this distaste she’s feeling. 

Ah, she remembers now, a brief scrunch of fear, his eyes blinking in apprehension, as if anticipating a bucket of horror to shower on his head.

It is only for a split of second, but to Tenko, that miniscule of time is equivalent to randomly flipping open a book page, and momentarily captured by the text written on it. 

*Crash!*

His body flies out of the window and rolls a few turns for good measure. It’s not like the degenerate doesn’t deserve it. The smell of tea on Tenko’s clothes is very apparent to her and pisses her off still. 

“Ouch!” The anthropologist nurses his bruised cheek, yet has the capacity for amusement. “Kehehe. To muster that much strength in a matter of second, you really are worthy of being an Ultimate Aikido Master.”

And there it is. The same anthropologist who can rant on the “beauty of humanity” or whatever for hours, the same one who asked Keade what kind of shampoo she used and does not show mercy for his “no, Miu, please shut your mouth” antics. 

That is the Korekiyo she knows. The fraction of second just before never happened.

As long as she has to, Tenko will act like it does. 

“Ugh! Typical degenerate male behaviour!”

  
  


  1. Candy



There is one thing Maki knows. She’s not good with kids. 

And there’s one right here, crying to her face because she lost her mom, apparently. 

“Wahhhhh! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

No, not here. Please stop.

“Mommm! Mommy, where are youuuuuuu?”

Really, please stop. Do you have no shame? People are looking.

“I’m scaredddddd….”

Ugh, there’s really no helping it, is there? She may have experience dealing with whiny kids back in the lab, but yelling children in public is solely insufferable. 

With reluctance as heavy as Mount Everest, Maki drags her butt off the bench to tend to the child.

“Come on, let’s go get your mom.”

…

They stroll across the streets, pathways, many pedestrians, searching for said mom. People are technically weaving together, so it’s not an easy task. Maki grabs the tiny hand tight, making sure not to lose it in the sea of people.

She wonders what herself is doing. Leaving the child in the midst of the crowd would be the most convenient. The child would not know where she is. Everyone else would not notice she left her. Maki can return to her usual patrol spot and carry on with the mission. Besides, someone else sympathetic will likely find her and lead her to the police station, something Maki was heavily advised against. 

Yet, she remembers.  _ Little warm hands in hers, in contrast with the cold air in that prison.  _ She does not want to leave this kid there because the mass is composed of more than just sympathetic individuals, otherwise, she would not have existed in the first place. 

What causes her to have these devious chains of thoughts? Or rather, what allows her to have them? She knows it well, but Maki would rather run from that than admitting it. 

She squeezes the little hand a bit tighter.

…

“Mom! Mom!”

Turns out, the search was pretty much useless. When they return to the starting point the mother is already there, bursting at the sight of her child.

They, of course, sprint for a tight hug and Maki feels a little like the third wheel. It is a bit awkward for her, the girl internally comments and is already on her heels to flee the scene. 

“Thank you so much, miss”, calls the mom just when she turns around. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found her for me.” The woman then proceeds to shake her saviour’s hand.

“Ah, no, I didn’t…” Uh oh, awkward meter fully filled. What to do in this situation? Her mind fumbles. The girl didn’t even want to help in the first place. 

“Honey! Come on! What to do when someone helps you?”

The little girl jots over. She trips a little on her steps. It takes the little one a good few attempts to get the words straight. 

“Thank you, big sis,” the little girl manages. “And uh…”, she digs through the pocket of her dress, “here you go!”

In the tiny palm was a lollipop, the type that you would see anywhere in grocery stores. 

“Oh. Thank you.” With some hesitance, Maki picks up the present and inspects it. No, she’s not suspicious of it or anything, but receiving candy is kind of… new to her. 

“Then, we will be on our way. Thank you again, miss. And see you around!” The mother greets and the child follows suit, waving all the way.

Maki is left at her usual spot, a small piece of sweet in her hand. 

What should she do with this? Well, it’s not like candies suddenly fall out of blue everyday. The last time she had sweets was… when was it again? It was so long that the girl barely has any recollection of the flavour, back when there’s still someone sneaking stuff for  _ them. “This will be our little secret, alright?” _

Whatever, may as well enjoy what she can.

The girl unwraps the candy and pops it into her mouth.

And then some idiot has to bump into her.

  1. Yes, Himiko-sama!



“Ranran, get me some water!”

“Ranran, my make-up!”

“Hurry! This hair won’t braid itself!”

"The nail paint is scratched off! Reapply it!"

Rantarou discreetly wipes off the sweat on his forehead. Today is another busy day, as their favourite Ultimate Magician is holding another performance. She won't allow any mistakes.

"Nyeh! I accidentally smudged the powder. Help me fix it, please!"

Why is he subjected to this torment? Turns out, the responsibility belies more on his part rather than the person inflicting it.

_ "Hey, Ranran. My performance is tomorrow afternoon. Can you help me with the preparation?" _

_ "Sure!" _

_ "Really? I thought you had shifts till noon?" _

_ "Yeah. But I can return early and help you with the make-up. Can’t let our precious mage down, yes?” _

_ “Double sure?” She lazily reiterates, yet somehow still makes it sound inquiring. “My standard is pretty high, you know? There mustn’t be any hiccups. And I can always ask Rumi for help anyways-” _

_ “I can do it”, he interrupted. “Definite.” _

_ “O~~kayyy, suit yourself, Ranran~.” _

He has to admit it wasn’t the brightest idea. Tough luck for him, today was unusually busy. It was as if everyone decided it was a good day for a haircut and flooded the barbershop. They demanded all kinds of hairstyles while screaming at him when they could get the hair done. Well, not all of them. Some customers really had manners, but man, some others… The manager was joyous. It was a nice change of pace to see a smile on the old man’s face. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Rantarou, who had to shoulder the more arduous half of the workload(of course he couldn’t let the manager do it). 

His hands were sore from incessant cutting and snipping. His knees were trembling from standing for hours. And damn did his eye sting from that one rude customer throwing shampoo at him. Of course, the old man had that person leaving immediately, but the damage was done. Nothing serious though, but Rantarou had to blink frequently to wash the chemical away.

Still he rushed home, drenched in fatigue, to tend to their favourite miss Magician.

“Hey, Himiko?”

“Do you see what I’m wearing?”

“Uh… your Whimsical Magical Getups?”

“My Mystical Sorceress Garmentum. Only uncreative clods would put two synonyms next to each other in a name. Which also means I am now Himiko-sama, the Ultimate Mage~~, and you shall refer to me as such. Nyeh! Don’t wear me out like that just before a performance.”

From the changing room, Tenko’s thundering voice reverberates. “What an insolent degenerate male! Address Himiko-sama with utmost respect or face Tenko’s wrath!”

Oh, how scary. “Alright, Himiko-sama, my  _ Ultimate Mage _ , may I query you this simple question?”

“Hmmm, as long as it doesn’t drain away my mana, ask away.”

Well, this would be a little embarrassing. His fingers weave through the colorful strands of the wig and tie them into one last neat braid. With it, everything is set. Rantarou places his hands on her shoulder, leaning in and directs both of their gazes to the mirror. “You like this look?”

The girl, now with a colorful head stares at herself in the mirror. She tilts her head up, down, left, right, inspecting her face at every angle. Satisfied with the handiwork, her lips spread into a smile, quite a small one with little effort the girl often puts into things other than “magic”, but a smile nonetheless. 

“Uhum. This is perfect. Ranran’s make-up truly is the best!”

And a smile spreads on his lips as well. “Haha, you think so?”

  1. Slippers



Twinkle, twinkle.

His eyes are glued onto it. He can’t look away!

“Twinkle, twinkle.”

How does that even make a sound effect?!

“Hehehe, I saw that, Shuichi.” His roommate smirks triumphantly. 

“Uh… what are you talking about?” Damn, he doesn’t think he was that obvious.

“There’s no shame in admiring it, sidekick! These slippers are fabulous! I know!” The man flexes his glinting footwears. “Behold The Intergalactic Superb Duo!”

Shuichi cringes a little inwards towards the name. Everyone in his household seems to have a knack for names or something, from Miu’s Super Duper Creations or whatever he can’t bother enough, to Himiko’s something Garmentum. And now he has uh… a pair of slippers. Although, they do look very comfy. 

“Hey, Kaito, can I try those on?” Well, the request is more out of courtesy than anything. The boy knows his roommate would be too thrilled that someone likes his outfits. Sadly for the Ultimate Astronaut, his sense of fashion is too frequently subjected to criticism. For a good reason, he might add.

“No.”

Eh? That was unexpected. “No?”

“A man shall never surrender his beloved so easily. Sorry, sidekick. But you need to prove yourself worthy of her love!”

What? Worthy of her love? Wait, her? Prove? What is he on now?

“I understand if you are baffled, Shuichi. The Intergalactic Superb Dou does have high standards, afterall. She only accepts the bravest and strongest men around. So clench your teeth and stand up to the challenges.” The guy roars in boiling vehemence. He stomps his feet on the ground and brandishes the ample set of muscles. All the while his entire form burns in torching passion and spearheading eagerness. 

In all honesty, Shuichi only wants to try on the slippers. 

“And as of you are now, sidekick, you barely pass the primary criteria. Your biceps are flaccid, your legs are as thin as twigs and you look like a gust of wind could knock you out. Kaede said you spend most of the time indoors  _ today and yesterday _ being a sleazy sloth and she’s not wrong by any means. This is unacceptable. Your body needs to be trained more. So get your ass up and start exercising those limbs!”

No, he really, really just wants to try on those slippers.

“What’s up with the sulky face? Get on! We don’t have much time, the ceremony will commence soon!” And Kaito drags his roommate towards the staircase. “To the rooftop! Best place for training! You’ll start with 15 pushups and I will gauge whether to up the intensity!”

“Uh… on second thoughts, maybe I prefer my own sleepwears. Your Intergalactic Superb...Duo? I can leave her to you.”

“My sidekick will never back down on a shrimpy challenge such as this. Hold your wimpy noodle arms tight, Shuichi, because WE ARE DOING THIS!”

Ugh, what has his night come to...

  1. Time changes



“Welcome! Welcome! Kaede!” Angie chirps, as happy as a morning bird, just the usual.

“So, why did you call for me here? Is there anything I can help?”

“Hmmm. Nothing much. Angie simply wants you to pose for her. Kamii-sama told Angie that Keade looks lovely today and is perfect to be on my canvas!”

“Haha, I see. That’s very nice of him!” The pianist chuckles light heartedly. She notices a sketchbook lying on a table top and asks for permission before flipping through the pages. “There’s so many of them, which one would you like me to pose?” The girl questions, pointing at a page full of models and postures.

“None, none. Today exercise is very simple! Keade takes a seat on that chair and Angie will draw her!”

“That’s it? Okay.” Kaede drags the furniture to where directly in front of the artist. She settles down properly.

“Make yourself comfortable! Kamii-sama said it would take a while.”

The artist places her canvas on the easel, and starts working on a new piece. Angie squeezes out some paint on the palette, then takes leisure in mixing the pigments.

The herald of Angie’s creation is soundless and tranquil, in contrast to Kaede’s indiscreet and vivid piano. To Kaede, they are on the very opposite of the art spectrum. On one hand, painting focuses more on crafting, a consistent process of hours upon hours, layers upon layers of paint, pencil lead, then paint, to finally give birth to a brand new dimension whose depth may or may not exist outside of the realm of reality. Piano, on the other hand, is more like a progression. When Kaede practices a new piece, the first try is always a bit jumbled, even with her status as the Ultimate Pianist. Then the second try, third try,... until her hands can dance the notes with seamless transition and the melody is engraved in her heart. Then the booming cheers of the audience whenever a performance ends, the incessant clapping resonating in her ears still and the temporary rush of pride and contentment.

Kaede is no artist and imagines one would be less likely to bow to the viewers under a blinding spotlight on stage, with flowers thrown around to celebrate a new art piece. 

Not that she says painting would be any less fulfilling. Even with thunderous praises, the high after a piano concert to her is fleeting and only a bonus prize. Keade remembers every time she successfully learns a piece of music, her mind is overcome by a depthless sense of pride that can only be explained after reviewing the huge amount of time and effort poured into practicing. Perhaps illustration is the same. Which is why artists like Angie and her(and most possibly Himiko as well) keep on doing what they do.

Although that’s just her opinion, what does she know?

“Uhh, Angie? My legs are getting a bit numb. You mind if I shift a bit?”

Angie only then snaps out of deep concentration, blinks at her friend as if to process the real world. What admirable dedication, honestly.

“Sure! Angie is almost done anyways!”

“That fast? I know it’s already an hour or so, but last time I checked, drawing took a whole lot more time.”

“Hehe, you underestimated Angie’s aptitude as Kamii-sama’s vessel! His divine power moves Angie’s limbs rea~~ly fast, you see? Or have you forgotten~~?” She tilts her head. “Kamii-sama only stops drawing you for a while and you already forgot his almightiness!”

“O-of course I remember!”

The artist pouts in the cutest way possible, most likely intentionally. Her two cheeks puff out like a small hamster. She speaks as her brush continues to run across the canvas. “Hmph! Well, whatever. Kaede may not recall Kamii-sama’a prowess, but Angie is sure Yuuki never forgets, unlike you. With this many people around, Angie feels like Kaede has forgotten her. We used to loiter around all the time, just the three of us, eating snacks, talking about what we liked, you ranted about your sister and Yuuki about her family… Nowadays we hardly even speak to each other!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. There’s so much stuff laying around. They kinda… take away my attention.”

“Yep! Angie gets it! Because Kaede is the leader right? So she has to be fair to everyone!”

“That’s not what I meant, Angie. Just because I have new friends doesn’t mean I can neglect our friendship!”

“But you really did forget us, didn’t you? After  _ that day _ ? It must have taken a toll on you.”

A wave of shame washes over her. Her gaze casts downwards towards the floor.. “I…”

“Hehe! Angie’s kidding! She’s not mad at all! The past is in the past and we should all keep our eyes towards the future. Besides, Himiko and Tenko are really nice!. So she’s grateful even!”

The small artist retreats back behind her canvas.

“Actually, Angie is very happy that you channel all your energy into caring for them. She loves the group. She won’t trade them for anything in the world!”

The soft sound of the brush on work indicates the artist’s return to her handiwork. Kaede did her best not to squirm in the seat, considering the preceding exchange. 

“And~~~ alrighty mighty! All done!”, the artist pipes at the product, signaling for her model to stand up. “Great job! Kaede! Kamii-sama is very proud of you!”

The pianist slowly lifts herself up from the chair, feeling the static numb creeping into her joints and muscles. She stretches a bit, but careful not to exaggerate her movements as not to appear rude.

“Stretch up! Stretch up, Kaede! Unblock the blood vessels and let the stream of life flow inside you. Nyahaha!”

As expected, Angie’s cheerful attitude is back at once. The previous tension passes like a breeze.

“Geez, you are incomprehensible sometimes.”

“Tehee! Angie takes that as a compliment!”

Okay, so it’s going well. Is this anything she can do to compromise with their Ultimate Artist? Since she generously spent her time on a painting of her.

“Do you mind if I play a piece for you sometimes? I usually hole up in my room with the piano, so uh,... feel free to gimme a knock!”

“Of course! Kamii-sama said he was very thrilled to hear Kaede’s playing again! Angie will definitely pay you a visit next time. Look forward to it!”

The pianist hums in agreement. That should be good enough.

“Then it’s settled. See you around!”

“Byeonara! See ya at dinner!”

…

Angie removes the painting from the wooden stand, inspecting it. 

She places it in a corner, waiting for the paint to dry completely. Meanwhile, the artist pulls out a crumpled piece of paper from her deck of artworks.

Placing the two drawings side by side, the girl muses at the two faces. Similar in structure, yet completely dissimilar in visage...

“Time sure does change, right, Kaede?”

  1. Welcome to the team!



“Speed and stealth, everyone! Speed and stealth! Fast like a cheetah, quiet like an owl. So much to prepare but little time to slack! Miu, contribute and quit your yapping. If he hears it, it will all turn to shreds!”

“Heee… why do you have to be so mean at times like this…”

“We can’t let your whines ruin the fun just because you feel lazy. Now get up and help!”

At long last, the inventor grabs the broom given to her and starts sweeping. She yelps as Kaede side eyes her while rubbing the table squeaky clean. Things are progressing smoothly, up until that moment. Kirumi and Ryoma, of course those two would stick together, are occupied with the cake, with the tennis pro’s perfect height allowing him to apply the icing perfectly. That cake is quite huge, really, almost towering over Ryoma’s small figure. Rantarou is bustling nearby with their anthropologist, frying some delicacies to add more flavours to the feast. The rest, Angie, Tenko, Himiko and Gonta are handling the decoration. 

And Kaito, the astronaut, is taking up the most important mission: to distract the main character and keep him from walking into the preparation. It is the second day of their training and Kaito was planning to raise the difficulty, so it would take some time. 

Kaede takes notes of the activities around her and hums. 

“Yep! Nothing can go wrong.”

‘...’

_ ‘What’s that smell?’ _

“Oh my, I did not foresee this level of fire would be so troublesome…”, Korekiyo, the culprit, is standing next to his own disaster The flame blazes with fiery buds, painting everything inside an angry red. A bit more and it would leave char marks on the ceiling. They guy muses, lifting a finger. “The burning smell can be quite telling, let’s hope our Shuichi would not notice it.”

It takes a moment for her brain to react to the arson.

“That’s not the biggest issue here! You seriously can burn the house down!”, exasperates Kaede.

“My, my, haha”, the green hair boy chuckles, “gotta do the fries again”.

“You seriously are more concerned about that?!”

“Ryoma, can you stay that way a bit longer? To shield the icing from the heat…”, the maid sounds a tad inconvenienced, but not at all panicked

“Sure…”, the tennis pro replies with indifference. 

“Mom! You’re supposed to be the one freaking out the most here! And Ryoma! We have more important things other than the cake!”

“Ah, yes. It’s part of my duty to keep the troubles at bay.”

Kirumi whips out a bottle of fire extinguisher from under the kitchen sink. She aims at their lit kitchen stove, and presses the lever. Water spurts out…

*FWOOOSHHHHHH*

“Who thought it was a good idea to use water as extinguishers in the kitchen?”, the maid holds up the bottle, perplexed. 

Tenko, who is bemused by the commotion, steps in. “What do you degenerates ruin this tim- Holy FIRE! Aaaaaahhh-hmph!” Himiko jumps on her just in time to curb the screaming. 

“We’re all doomed! We’re all doomed!” Angie warbles while riding on Gonta’s neck, who is very much worried but at loss of what to do.

“No we aren’t dammit! Why aren’t you goons acting sane in this situation?! Tch! Miu! Get the fire extinguisher from our room! The powder one! Get it right!”

“Hgh! Me? Again?”, which earns a glare from the pianist, “Okay! Okay, I’ll go get it. *Hisss* Only I get the harsh treatment…”

“Oi! What’s going on here?”, with flawlessly nice timing, Kaito pokes his head from upstairs. “Miu, is it you again?”

“The first person you accuse is me? Why?! What did I do? What makes you all gang up on me?”

And when you think the situation can’t get worse, it gets worse. 

“Is there anything I need to worry about?” Shuichi's meek voice can be heard from on top of all the fright, the dread, the terror, adding more fuel to their already scorching torch of a kitchen. Startled, everyone ducks in hope of not being spotted by him. Himiko thankfully is quick witted enough to pull the curtain by the kitchen’s entrance, effectively blocking away the brightness of the flame. Kaede finds herself under the table. 

“N-nah, it’s fine. Miu is doing something weird again.” Kaito attempts to appear reassuring, pushing his training buddy back to the safe zone. 

“Y-yeah!”, the inventor plays along, walking up the staircase to help hiding the inferno from view, “Gorgeous me accidentally started a fire…Wait! No,” she backpedals fairly quickly at Shuichi’s horrified expression, “just a little burn on the wall, is all! Everything is under control! This girl is simply fetching some cleaning supplies…”

“Then it won’t hurt if I take a look…”, the ex-detective tries to propel his way through.

_ ‘Dammit! Their kitchen is still on fire!’ _

“Nope, nope, nope. Miu said she got everything under control, see? Don’t you have a little faith in her?”

“But you were the one....”

“Initial suspicion! She comes clean now! Look how innocent she is!” Miu sharply eyes him with utter contempt.

“But…”

“Just get in the shower, sidekick! The bath water is nice and warm and it’s waiting for you. Gotta clean yourself first before anything, alright?”

And the three of them vanish from sight.

…

Shuichi steps out of the bathroom. He feels his way through the dense misty steam. His roommate and the inventor were acting out of place, he remarks. There’s definitely something they didn’t want him to find out. 

At first glance, his training with Kaito seems innocuous enough. It was very exhausting, alas, his muscles are throbbing even after a long bath. Then the guy called for a break, in which he offered to get Shuichi a drink and  _ insisted  _ that he stay put. The ex-detective found that somehow dubious, but let it slide. Afterall, it made sense for them not to have full trust in him at the moment, when Shuichi has been around for only a solid 3 days.

Then things turned bizarre when everyone, yes, everyone got rowdy on the first floor for some reasons. Shuichi intended to go down to investigate, only to be thwarted by Kaito. That’s when the knowledge of something was up solidified. Even more shady was when Iruma, of all people, opted to tolerate Kaito. Not to say he knows her that well, but from observation in that small time frame, Iruma seems like she won’t waste any opportunity to jump to Kaito’s throat. Or anyone’s throat for that matter. He also managed to catch a glimpse of Gonta’s burly form by the side of the staircase. 

They were all banding together. That mostly likely somehow involved Shuichi, the newbie, since the group was so adamant on not letting him in. 

Why? What makes them so secretive to the point of deriving a whole plan just to keep him away?

Perhaps, most possibly, almost certainly, it was something that would upset him.

What was something that upset him again?

Shuichi’s mind flashes back to 2 days prior, when the whole household witnessed his pathetic display and him running away like a chicken. The moment when they found out he was wanted by the entire city, the gazes they gave him changed. Shuichi could not see exactly what the changes were, thanks to his hat, but he could feel it. 

And it was scary.

Scary, not knowing if it is apathy, hatred, or disdain directed at you. Fear, disgust or disappointment.

The eyes are scary. The relentless questions are scary. Impermanence is scary. 

Maybe the discussion was about getting rid of him. Afterall, Shuichi is not of any help, keeping a runaway could be considered a felony and their hideouts must absolutely be concealed from the public. Sheltering him has only banes and no boons. A logical move would be to remove the unnecessary burden. 

The realization shakes him to his core.

He would be forsaken, once again. And this time, luck would not be on his side. 

That can’t be it, can it? By some miracles, all this could be his paranoia speaking, and the others are merely scheming a stunt to mess with him. Shuichi won’t be thrilled about it, but it’s undoubtedly the better outcome than being abandoned. 

Yeah! That must be it! No point in fussing over events that have not taken plac-

All lights snuff out of life. 

Muted colors burst in his vision for an inconceivably short time before being drowned by darkness. 

Shuichi grabs at the fabric that his hand reached just in time. He puts the hat on first.

“Awww, man. It blacked out. Probably Miu’s doings again. Oi, Shuichi, you hear me in there? You wanna go check the power source with me? I- uh- need company. Not that I’m scared or anything. There’s n-nothing to be scared!”, Kaito somehow sounds shaky at this part, which is pretty comical considering how steadfast he normally is, “But you can’t trust the folks in this house. They are too weird.”

Way to say about your housemates. As if there’s any other choice for him. The boy is bound to confront it at some point, very soon. He may as well embrace the inevitable. 

It is sad, really. For a moment there, Shuichi truly did look forward to leading a decent life with these people. Until he can make all of them friends. Then call them by their first names, something only appeared in his fantasy(aside from Makoto, but that guy is just nice to everyone in general). Then they will use his first name as well, not out of respect because his last name itself is one huge blotching nerve, but rather because they are close friends. 

Guess that’s too good to be true. 

The ex-detective puts on his clothes (it’s very comfy, he will miss it), and trudges along the wall to where his roommate(soon to be ex-roommate) is. 

“Hehe, gotcha! Follow my lead.” He cheerfully chirps as he catches Shuichi’s hand in his. The man is oddly excited, which makes sense, he would soon be free of a breathing liability. 

Their footsteps echo in murky shadow, out of their bathroom, to the second floor hall, down the stairs…

*Creak*

One step. 

*Creak*

Two steps. Any moment now.

*CREAK*

He braces himself-

“ **HAPPY ARRIVAL!!!** ”

In a duration too short for his numbed mind to process, confetti pops and vibrant colors spring into life.

Amidst the glossy light, stand the other ten members, cheering and laughing. 

“Welcome to the group!” Kaede claps her hand in enthusiasm. Her presence expels any gloom still exists with his mindscape. She smiles brightly, radiating a congenial essence. “Uhh, do we have a name? No? Really? After all this time? Well whatevs,” She turns to Shuichi, “you are now officially a member!” 

“Look! We made a cake for you!” The Ultimate Artist hops in so much excitement, she almost loses her footing. The girl clings onto Gokuhara's broad shoulder for balance.

“Gonta very glad Shuichi came here with us. Gonta wishes Shuichi enjoys his stay.”

“Kehehe, I’m sure he will. It’s such a rare occurrence for this many outstanding characters gathering at one place. There is no room for boredom.”

“Ha! Appreciate the effort, ya virgin! We went through hell and back for ya!”

“Miu, it is his day. Be more lenial.” Tojou chides. 

“Let her have her fun. Most of those lines are harmless anyways.”

“Ranran, don’t spoil her. *Yawn*. That potty mouth is always to be in check. For her own good or anyone else’s,” Yumeno snuggles in her friend’s arms. “You agree with me, right, apprentice?”

“Himiko-sama is correct. Even if it is  _ just  _ a degenerate, Tenko still thinks Miu should tone down her obscenity.”

Hoshi nods his head in the armchair, not needing to raise his opinion.

“You lots have such a puny sense of humour…”, the inventor cowers.

Astounded, Shuichi descends the rest of the staircase. By each step, their rambunctious noise fills more and more of his ears. 

It is overwhelming, but not unpleasant. 

Shuichi swims through the metaphorical viscous film dividing him and the rest of the world. In that world, his arms flail through the thick fluid, endlessly reaching towards the shimmering glimpse of reality. 

Finally, and finally, he catches that tiny spark in his hands, and blinding light engulfs his entire body.

He can hear them now. Very clearly. Their words of welcome, their merry for his presence. It’s not an enchantment to keep his last pieces of mind from breaking. 

He found it. A new home. 

Shuichi comes to face them,... and the tower of cake meant to celebrate this event.

“Uh… that’s a huge cake we got here…”

“See, mom? Told ya that cake is too big. Ingesting that much sugar at once would hinder his progress to earning these Intergalactic Superb Duo!”

“Hush now. One day would not make much difference. Twelve of us can finish this in one night and that would be it.”

“I don’t think even this many people can finish it in one night…” His eyes eventually catch sight of their smooth black charcoal of a wall. “...Wow, Miu did burn the wall quite a bit.”

“It wasn’t me! That idiotic Kork over there is the one responsible!”, Iruma is quick to shift the blame. 

“It is sad to admit, but cooking is not my strong front.”

“Yeah! I know! Problem is how fast you fuckers jump on me!”

A reminiscence of  _ that day _ plays in his head. An overly large cake, a celebration just for him and a person/people he can rely on.

“So, as the main character of today, what do you have to say, Shuichi?”, Kaede makes a beeline to his side, curious of the inputs.

“Haha, what can I say?”, the most genuine laugh escapes him, “Thanks a lot!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's also a gallery planned for this bonus chapter, but i couldn't finish it on time XD. Link will be posted here when it's completed. The standard won't be so high, so don't look too much into it XD


	13. Backlogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One, split into two, and from there, two new branches sprout...
> 
> Visit a fragment of the maid's memory, and the premise of what about to unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's a good way to start a new arc? MOREEEE FLASHBACKKK!✨✨✨
> 
> (im very sorry, flashback is a defining trait of this fic, also, more flashbacks next chapter :DDD)
> 
> Warning: nicotine consumption

The van skits to a halt, dust and smoke flies behind in its wake. 

Its door bursts open, and with it, a stream of bodies flows out.

“Hggg… Hueagghhhhhh…”

A girl with red head pathetically hunches over the sidewalk, emptying the entirety of her stomach content. 

Another girl, dressed in blue, also shaken to her core, palms lightly on the former’s back to ease up the purging.

Another one wobbly raises to her feet, her face is as blue as a berry. 

“Urgghh…. Fuck! What the fuck was that?!”

“Holo? We gave you a safe drive, and that’s your thanks?” The driver, his face concealed by a clown mask, head covered wholly by a bright red wig, pokes his head out of the driver seat and taunts. 

“Safe drive my ass! You clown flew the fuck off the highway! That nearly killed us!”

"Um… everyone? Rantarou is not responding…", comes the freaked out voice of a certain entomologist.

"Killed one of us! Holy cumstuck clogged drain!"

"Collateral damage. The rest are in one piece, lo?"

" _...our spirits has shattered into millions pieces mind body and soul are detached and unable to unite life is dead the world has reached its end ah what is the purpose of existing just to suffer kamii-sama please please please grace us with your salvation… _ ”

"Angie's broke." The pianist deadpanned.

Those not mentioned slowly make their way out of the vehicle, with varying degrees of disturbance. Korekiyo looks mildly affected. Shuichi looks like he's going to collapse in the next second, and he does. Ryoma and Kirumi are not bothered in the slightest.

"Ooh, tough, aren't cha?" The driver comments.

"A challenge as trivial as this should not interfere with my duty as a maid." Kirumi sets her foot on the stable ground, glancing around. "However, I would appreciate it if you don't nauseate my friends. We all would like to make use of a good break.”

“It’s natural selection! Eliminate the weaklings! Only the strongest shall survive!”

The tennis pro pulls the beanie over his eyes. “Why are we even asking…”

“Anyhowwww… Now that we have arrived, lemme show ya the way!”

The traumatized bunch shamble to get their luggage and move to the new place. Well, most of them . Rantarou has yet to gain consciousness and Gonta has to carry him on his back. For someone who seems to have high endurance, the green-haired boy is susceptible to car sickness, extra fatal points if it’s a clown driving. 

Like the previous one, this new cottage is nestled within another ghosted path. 

Kirumi counts how many times they have been moving like this. When there’s only four members in the group, all of them were just lost kids with flesh wounds newly opened in their hearts. They moved around much more often then, about once every month, sometimes within a week. Kaede had stopped bothering to unpack her luggage fully, always prepared to relocate without notice. Both DICE and they were on the run, had to look behind their back every few seconds in fear someone might catch up. 

They are a much larger group now, and more stable. They know how to fend for themselves, more apt blending into the crowd, and more welcoming than before. Angie’s “first name basis” strategy sure did work well in this regard, bringing new members closer to the collective before they felt outcasted and left astray. 

The door familiarly unfamiliarly creaks open, welcoming the new tenants. Particles float aimlessly in the shadowy lodge. The smell of molds intrudes the air, bombarding the new presences. 

This would require some cleaning. Just when she thought they could take a good rest. 

“Welp, here’s your new house. Try to get comfy. I will. Celebrate or something, throw a party. Be careful not to disturb the neighbours, hololo!” The big jester chortles, throwing a row of keys on the dusty table. “Oh and, just a precaution. This place is quite near our headquarters, so don’t be surprised if you see Boss wandering around. The guy wears the same uniform as us, but more flashy, cape and hat and all...”

“A cape?! Who does he think he is? Batman? And here I thought Miss “It’s magic” here is the only chuunibyou.” 

“Watch it. Or I’ll curse you. Hrgk! Magic is real.”

“Then bring it on! This gorgeous girl would love to see you try.”

“...hey, it’s rude to interrupt people when they are talking. And in case you do see him, and he asks you about why you guys need a new place, just make up something. Don’t tell him the real reason.”

“Um...can I ask why is that?”, the new boy, Shuichi inquires. Despite his shy demeanour, he is a curious one. 

“Well, it’s private. But Maki-nee is kind of in Boss’ bad book, so to speak. So if he finds out she’s here, he’ll make us leave. And that includes you lots, too. You don’t wanna move again so soon, don’t cha? And one more thing...”

He stops in front of Kaede, whose steps are still awkward from all the kicking the day before. The mask on his face obscures any facial expression, but the rigidity in his posture sells a solemn mood. 

“Yesterday was hectic, so we didn’t have the chance to say it, but”, his voice is the most serious ever seen from the clown. “Thank you, for trying to save our Yuuki. We wouldn’t know what to do if we had lost her.”

“Oh, no. I was trying to save myself, too. Besides, it’s Maki who did the nursing…”

“Still. We would like to express our gratitude, this goes for what you did for her in the past, too. If there’s anything you need, give us a call. DICE are clowns, ye, but even clowns have values. And these clowns would do everything in our abilities to help.”

“You guys have helped us more than enough. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. So no owning anything.”

The clown does not respond to that. Instead, he turns to face Angie behind and nods in acknowledgement. The artist also nods in return .

And the jester, Ace, waves goodbye. Not long after, the sound of car engines revving can be heard. 

And the group is left to their device.

“It’s getting dark soon. We should clear things off a little bit and then call it a day.” Says Kaede, customarily the first one to speak up. 

As on cue, Kirumi grabs a cloth and begins the cleaning. As a maid, she must handle her tasks swiftly and efficiently. A maid doesn’t need to wait for instruction to heed. She knows what is to be completed even before the client has to request it from her. 

Though, contravening the maid’s methodology, everyone else gets a broom or a mop on their own, and joins in the quest.

“You don’t have to. I am fully capable of cleaning up on my own.”

“And the rest of us sit here and do nothing? Come on, Mom, even this hopeless bunch at least know how to do a little mopping and sweeping. And you aren’t our helper, so it’s just rude letting you do all the work!”, as she explains, Kaede sets down a bucket of water and calls out for others to do the rinsing. Those who hold a cloth waddle towards her like a flock of chicks when the mother hen calls meal time. 

“I see. If you insist.”

…

_ “My sincerest apology. But I must insist.” _

_ It was a maid’s duty to complete a task without even given instruction to do so. And it is her firm aphorism. Her entire existence was born into this world for the sole purpose of serving and devoting. Unfortunately, her new housemates did not adopt the same view point.  _

_ “No, Kirumi, you are not obliged to do anything. You have already done the dishes, the laundry, cleaning, cooking, … anymore and we would all be reduced to toddlers. Here, just give me the knife, I can help cut the veggies at least.” _

_ “I can assure you, these tasks are only frivolous compared to multiple responsibilities I have been given before.” _

_ “This is not about whether you can do it or not. This is about you not being our personal maid and doing all the work. We are not lesser or above than you in any way, so let us handle our own chores!” _

_ “But I am a maid…” _

_ “And our housemate and equal. Honestly, take a rest and lemme make dinner tonight.” The de facto leader wrapped her fingers around the handle of the knife, and sliced the vegetable on the wooden chopping-block. Her skills were not bad, per say, far from it. She had some experience working in the kitchen, but was still far from a maid’s level of proficiency.  _

_ The maid sat down and watched, albeit trying to comprehend the irrational request.  _

_ … _

_ Next to her was a young boy around her age.  _

_ The sky was painted with a soft pastel orange. Cotton candy cloud drifted lazily across the background.  _

_ Sceneries are inconsequential to a maid’s purpose, but she couldn’t help but pay it some of her ‘unworthy’ attention.  _

_ The boy drew out the piece of cigarette from his lips, blowing smoke into the otherwise crisp air. It had become a routine for the two of them. Kirumi, whenever she had the chance, would discreetly pass through the hole in the fence of the mansion, despite knowing full well she shouldn’t have. Not that much could be blamed on her. Morbid curiosity was an ingredient in every teenager’s personality, whether or not they were made to be a prestigious maid from a wealthy family.  _

_ The same, however, is ambiguous to her companion, though even calling him a companion was a bit of a stretch. Whenever they met, they were simply there, existing on the same plane, with the sense of amiability as fragile as a bubble. It was certainly there, invisible, sitting between them, but was also tentative, one wrong move and it bursted.  _

_ Nevertheless, both of them could appreciate an amigo.  _

_ She could not appreciate some fourteen-year-old kid smoking, though.  _

_ “Aren’t you an athlete? You are not supposed to have nicotine in your possession, let alone consuming it.” _

_ “Relax. No one is getting hurt from me smoking a tab or two. My manager doesn’t even care anyways.” _

_ “Even if you said so, I am still a bit concerned. Addictive substances are deleterious to health, which should be one of your major worries. Smoke from cigarettes contains over forty toxic chemicals, with how early into your life you are smoking, your lungs will soon eat itself inside out.” _

_ “Wow, for someone who always boasts about heeding instructions, you sure do have some might to retaliate.” _

_ “Please, do not misinterpret my intentions. It is also part of my duty to keep people around me in good conditions.” _

_ “Well, then understand that this is my good condition. No offence, miss maid, but this goner has too much yearning for a taste less bitter than his life. Plus, this would keep the felines away.” _

_ A deviant sarcastic line immediately formed in her head and was about to bubble through her trachea to the voice box. The maid quickly swallowed it down. Even if her talking partner was being a real pessimist while he himself had his own roles to uphold, it was out of character for a maid to reproach anyone.  _

_ “By the way, you keep talking about how you are obligated to do this, this, be a maid, but have ever considered your purpose has to do with, you know, something else?” _

_ She blinked. “I was created solely to be a maid. That is my only purpose. Or are you insinuating something further than that?” _

_ The boy inhaled a deep drag from the cigar, and pulled it out, puffing another smokey, grey cloud. “Who knows?” _

_ … _

_ The night is soundless except for her muted footsteps.  _

_ Both Master and Milady were already deep in slumber. It was her duty to scour the mansion one more round to ensure everything was safe and in order.  _

_ The soft glow illuminated from the candelabra, painting the surfaces a gentle yellow.  _

_ It was relieving work, in contrast to the heavy chores during daylight. _

_ Not that she's complaining, afterall, all was her duty. _

_ From the other end of the hall, the same light approached. The head maid’s frills sways slightly, radiating elegance that was suitable for a model servant.  _

_ Just as the two bubbles of light merged, her movements halted.  _

_ The head maid had been around since forever, much earlier than the junior’s arrival. She gave every instruction, every disciplinary. Even if their masters were not so uptight about etiquette, a maid’s duty was a maid’s duty, and it had to be carried out with stringent.  _

_ “Good to see you fulfilling your responsibilities even this late. I see that all paintings and windows are free of dust, laundry is well taken care of, the lawn was mowed, meals for tomorrow are prepared... Good job, Kirumi. Although, have you done sorting through master’s paper? He is going to need it tomorrow.” _

_ “Yes, of course, madame.” _

_ “Well done. Also...”, she paused for a second, as if contemplating the next words carefully. “There’s a hole in the fence, I’m sure you have noticed.” _

_ The little maid’s heart nearly leaped out of her ribcage. She felt a gust of dread travelling down her spine. Madame did not show mercy for mistakes, let alone defiance. Skipping out of the mansion did not only break the rules, but also a way to neglect her duty. _

_ Kirumi’s feet froze in place. She must not show fear, not a single reaction. Do not let madame get suspicious. Must stay calm, must stay collected. ‘Please don’t let her know, please, please, I promise I won’t step out again, please don’t be disappointed…’ _

_ “Well, I suppose it’s not a big problem. As long as no one enters the building itself, things should be good. Though, look out for the lawn. Report to me immediately if you see something out of ordinary. ” She shook her head with a sigh. “Do keep in mind to enact it with utter commitment. It is your responsibility to fulfill.” _

_ Stern and relentless, leaving no rooms for flaws, that was the way of the head maid, the constant reminder for her successor. _

_ Still, relief washed over Kirumi’s small shoulders. Though she probably relaxed too quickly that the next sentence made her jump out of her skin, even if it wasn’t at all a chastise.  _

_ “It’s really late by now. Do head to bed. We have a lot to do next morning.” _

_ “Y-yes! I’ll do so right away.” Oh, she just stammered, hopefully it wasn’t too obvious.  _

_ Madame snickered, her brain tricked her, because the next time she blinked, the head maid’s composure returned, inexorable as ever.  _

_ “Very well. Then good night, little one.”  _

_ … _

_ “This is an order. Stay put and do not make a sound.” _

_ And she did just that. The girl knew if she dared disobey, it would not end well for her. _

_ So peeking from the gaps between the closet doors, the little maid held her breath… _

_ … _

The skitting of the wooden chair pulls her out of the trance.

“What’s wrong?”, says a familiar voice. “It’s unlike you to be distracted.”

His gaze of concern glazes over her, much like...huh.

The little(physically) guy munches on the sweet lollipop while casually propping himself up on his new cozy chair. 

“I’m glad that you have abandoned your smoking habit. The earlier you get rid of it, the better it is for all your own benefits.”

“Saying that, you probably just don’t want to reek the house, do you?”

“That’s certainly part of it, but please don’t assume we don’t care about your health, as well.”

“Haha, I kid, I kid…”, he chuckles. “Of course… with you being that insistent, I couldn’t even get a hand on a cig. Well, guess it’s not too bad. Cigars do keep the felines away, afterall.” Right on cue, the cat hops on the table top, claiming her rightful seat.

“Take a seat, it’s not too late into the night yet. Maybe he’ll call later.”

That being said, the maid can hardly pry her eyes off the communication device. It is way past the time that Kaito contacted them yesterday. If he stands them up, Kirumi will literally drive back to the old hideout just to see if he’s alive. Logically, she knows everything is most definitely alright and she’s just paranoid, still, you can never be too careful.

“Worry much, huh. Take it easy. That guy is a grown-ass man, he can handle himself.”

“I acknowledge that. However, with how reckless he is, I can’t help but be apprehensive. Perhaps leaving Kaito by himself was terrible hindsight on my part.”

“You respected his decisions. I think that much is enough to support him. Besides, it’s not like any amount of convincing would work on that stone head, he's reckless, you said it yourself.”

“Still, it’s my responsibility to keep everyone safe.”

“It’s _ our  _ responsibility, even slackers like me. I think that guy sees it that way, as well, hence he chose to stay. Don’t be bothered to shoulder everything by yourself, nothing good comes from it and you’re only stressing yourself out.”

She lets out a sharp breath. As irritating as this is, Ryoma is right, pacing around would not do any good, at least, not yet. She settles down on the side juxtaposed to his to calm her nerves.

“Still hold onto your duty as a maid? You do know that while you’re here, there’s no point in upholding that, don’t you?”

“No. This has little to do with it. My purpose to fulfill is no longer restricted in simply being an obedient servant. I have much more responsibility now, and my job as a maid is simply a means to fulfill that purpose.”

“...if you say so. Can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not.” Ryoma pulls out the candy, and twirls the handle in his hand. It’s an old habit, from when he often twirled the burnt cigarette between his fingers. “Only time will know.”

At long last, the obnoxious ringtone finally yells, a composition of some distorted weird moaning sound and the screeching of a dying cat. For some reasons, it's still too catchy for comfort. For some other reasons, Miu refused to change the tone and disabled the ring tone settings. 

Though it does not affect the relieving sigh escapes the maid. When she grabs the device a tad too forcefully.

"Hello? Kaito?"

"Oh, hi, mom! Nice to see you again!"

"Yes, yes, it's me." She massages the crease between her eyebrows. "Please stop calling me that. Why are you so late?"

"Oof." Kaito lets out a sound a child would when they know they're going to be scolded. "Kinda embarrassing to admit, haha… Sorry, mom, I forgot."

"Your memory is awfully flawed at your age."

"I'm sorry." He rues, with an audible grimace. Guess that's Kaito for them.

"*sigh* Fine. Please, do keep in mind that we are in a difficult time, and not knowing whether you are well can seriously send us into a panic. We may not have a private vehicle to drive back, but that won’t stop us from snitching one ourselves!"

"Woah! Chill, mom! Not going to repeat the same mistake again, promise! I was just caught up in something, no worries!"

"What is this something you are talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing! Maybe a rat or two got into the house, you know, since the cat is with Ryoma… but, argh, it's okay, nothing Momota Kaito cannot handle… Hey! Pu-"

There's a lot of shuffling and squeaking of feet against the wooden floor, and shouting. Mostly shouting. She cannot tell exactly what from the muffled sound from the other line. Kaito must have covered the mic with his hand.

“Is there anything over there?”

“No! Mom! Everything is fine! It’s just the rats, just the rats, just the rats… Oi! Stop that!”

“Kaito, if things get messy I’ll get there as soon as possible, alright?”

“Okay! I mean, no! Yes! Ughhh! Everything is fine, mom! I’m totally in control here! The food is safe, electricity is good, and… oof! Water is still running…*tripping sound*, I can just lock the door to my room.”

It doesn’t take a genius to tell something is up. However, this is Kaito they are talking about. Him being an oddball even all by himself is a trait that defines Kaito Momota, the “Luminary of the Star”. The fact that the astronaut decides to stay behind is itself a sign he’s cooking up something. In short, this should be the behaviour expected of him and if the man refuses to share what’s on his mind, there’s no point forcing it. 

The astronaut continues with a whole list on why there’s nothing of concern.

“Okay, okay. I understand.” He sounds just as energetic as usual, so things are probably still in control. “Do keep well, alright? And if anything happens, notify us immediately.”

“Gotcha!”

“Remember to call on time tomorrow.”

“Gotcha!”

“And, Kaito?”

“Yes?”

“Stay safe, got it?”

“Of course, mom! As if anything can bring down this Luminary!”

...

The first thing entering his drowsy brain in the morning is: he has a mission. A very important one at that.

Save Maki Roll. Bring her to the group. Reunite. 

Three short steps, but at the same time each step is as unresolved and insurmountable as the Milky Way. 

With a long huff, he rolls off the mattress and heads down to the street. 

Cutting through the throngs of people, his eyes search constantly for a shade of red and teal. He visits the wooden bench where she often idles, then their favourite ice vendor, then where they first met…

No signs of Maki. The search lasts for a whole morning and yields little result. 

Groaning loudly, Kaito flops down to the acquainted bench, craning his neck backwards. The girl is really good at hiding when she wants to. The sea of bodies frequenting the street isn’t helping as well. Not that it would ever daunt him. The luminary will definitely find her, even if he has to reach the end of the earth. 

Swallowing in the fatigue, Kaito is back on his feet, ready to further the rifling. 

“You really are a difficult case. Just what do you think you are doing?”

His head whips back so hard his neck hurts. 

“Maki Roll!” The man yelled in delight.

“I saw you running around the whole morning and decided to only observe. As expected. You are intrinsically an idiot.”

“Maki! Maki!”

“H-hey!”, she yelps in surprise as the astronaut grabs her by the shoulder, rubbing his goatee in. 

“Haha! I know you miss me!”

“No, I don’t! I simply can’t stand a weird-looking moron like you keep running around. It’s annoying!”

“Awww, and you look out for me, too! That’s so cute!”

“Keep making dumb assumption like that and I’ll punch your face in. You wanna lose a tooth, is that it?”

Despite her obvious superior strength, Maki fumbles to pull away, revealing her flustered face. From her controlled touches, he can tell she’s holding back as not to be too forceful on him. How caring of her, Kaito certainly didn’t misjudge her character. 

“You want to grab some ice-cream?”

“Again? Is that all you can think of? And isn’t it getting cold for ice-cream?”

“Come on! No need to be shy! I know you like it.” He sings with a wink. 

In response, Maki shakes her head and drops it in her palm, a gesture clearly saying: what am I going to do with you. Well, as long as the girl is tagging along, Kaito has nothing to complain about. And so, hand in hand, at least figuratively, they venture by the usual routine. 

…

Noises in the environment fades away as the two engage in a fervent conversation. Well, from his side mostly. Maki, as usual, merely adopts her iconic passive stance and listens intently. From the way she nods while nibbling on the ice cone, to her eyelid blinking at every new idea that catches her attention, Kaito can tell the girl is enjoying herself while emerses in his vast stories, he supposes.

As long as she is having fun. 

Nevertheless, the necessity to find a resolve out of their sticky situation never leaves, sitting dormant in the back of his mind. While his mouth keeps spilling space gibberish like a mantra, his brain is frantically probing and prodding for a solution.

"So there are many galaxies, not just one?", rather out of character, Maki raises a question.

"Huh?" The gears in his head cease at once to recollect what himself was saying. What was he talking about? Oh, right. Galaxies. Galaxies. His numb brain pieces together the sequence that leads to the topic. "Yep! There are so many of them out there! About 100 billions, and each of those holds hundreds of millions of stars! Cool right? Yet that’s not all! Everything we know about is only limited in one universe, ours! But theoretically speaking, there might be countless universes out there! Some of those might be a universe parallel to ours, like, another version of you and me! The possibility is endless!”

“I never knew all those concepts. To me, space, universes, cosmos, or whatever, means the same thing. But…” , very subtly, her eyes steer away. “Guess you learn something new everyday, huh.”

“That’s the spirit, sidekick! Everyone should possess a passion for learning. The sea of knowledge is boundless. The more you reach for it, more opportunities will open. Like that one doctor who pioneered the whole genetic enhancement industry! Thanks to her that people like us are born.” But then he tsks, “Can’t agree with how they handle Ultimates, though.”

“Sureeee.” Maki lengthens the sentence, trying to backout before they get off topic. “Whatever. I don’t understand what you are saying anyway, but can you quit with the “sidekick” thing? It’s irritating.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize that.”

“Thank you.”

“Then I just have to use it until you get comfortable!”

“Ye- What? No!”

“Maki Roll! You are under now my responsibility! And I swear on my darling Intergalactic Superb Duo not to let anything happen to you!” He announces proudly, chest puffed out like a valiant lion.

“Intergalactic… What? Anyways, you are taking this to the next level. Cut it. People are staring.”

Oops, maybe he’s a bit noisy. Too caught up juggling between conversing with Maki and figuring out the next step makes him oblivious to the external environment. It’s quite comprehensible that Maki would be rattled getting too much attention as well. If there’s one thing she keeps highlighting over and over again, it’s to not let her custodians be aware of their interactions. 

Apologetically, and rather comically, the astronaut makes a show to zip up his mouth. Then he does an ‘okay’ sign.

“But that aside, Maki. I need to ask you a few things as well.” He makes sure to tone down the cheekiness in his voice, indicating the following would be a little more serious.

The girl doesn’t seem to be affected, though. Seriousness is what defines her character. “What is it?”

“Your assignment. Does it have a deadline?”

The girl’s brows shift in the slightest. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going to-”

*Brrr**Brrr*

“Shit. Not now!” Out of frustration, she curses. Her face contorts at the sudden disruption.

“Uh… is that?”, he asks as Maki pulls out a small cellphone from her pocket.

“Sorry. I have to take this in private.” Already on her feet, the girl takes momentum to bolt.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No!”, without warning, she snaps back. Anxiety visibly printed on her scowl.“Absolutely no one is allowed to hear this. Get it? Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

And with such short notice, she’s gone, leaving Kaito wondering what’s happening. With a long exhale, he collapses back onto the bench. At least it buys him some more time to contrive. Kaito revises the steps in his head once more. First, he needs to get as much information as possible, most likely from Maki herself. The man also has to mind if there’s a time limit to his self-appointed mission, in case he must push the progress of the plan further. Nevertheless, that too would not be of use if the device harnessing her freedom is not disposed off...

Ughh, no matter how much he thinks, he’s still met with deadend. There’s no clear route ahead, and the astronaut is simply thrashing aimlessly in the dark. 

If only there’s a clue somewhere...

“Ouch!”

Too deep in his thoughts, the man fails to realize he was sitting in a rather… inconveniencing position, and inadvertently tripped a small boy who was running across him.

“Oops! My bad, you okay?” He offers a hand to help the boy up. 

The smaller one, possibly a few years under him, accepts help with some reluctance. He sniffs and rubs where his knee was scraped against the ground, though with the trouser covering it, Kaito cannot assess the extent of damage. 

“Does it hurt? Sorry, dude. Here, lemme see it.”

Carefully, the astronaut rolls up the trouser of the small boy, examining the scrape.

“Huh, well that doesn’t look bad. It’s a bit dry, too. Nothing to worry about, kid.” He gives the kid an assuring pat to the calf. “Bandage it properly when you get home, alright?”

“So… I won’t die from infection, right?”

A lighthearted snort escapes him. “Nah~ you won’t. Most likely,” he adds to tease the small boy. “Hehe, ya scared?”

“My mom said… I must be careful of injuries, worms and bugs can eat into the wound. The flesh there would become rotten and bleed non-stop. The bugs will breed there and soon my wound would be home for those bugs. And it’ll be infected. Once it happens there’s no saving anymore and I will slowly die a painful death... So mom doesn’t allow me to run around or play heavy sports, because then I can get injured…then... I’ll die… Hic.” Tears well up. “Mister, I don’t want to die! *Sob* *sob* Wah...”

“Wha- Dude! Calm down. I won’t say it can’t happen, but that’s only in extreme cases.”

“This...is the worst injury I have ever received! I’m doomed! Mom! I love you! WAHHHHHhhhh!!”

And comes the most detestable crying he ever heard in his life. Along with tears comes the snort. Mucus leaks from every orifice on the boy's face. Although he has to admit, that level of crying is pretty dang impressive. Kaito is reminded of how their bunch often whined to Kirumi just as despicably and a wave of sympathy crashes onto his cold body. Sorry, mom. He won't whine to her the same way ever again.

"Oi! Quiet down! It's only a scratch, alright? You won't die from this." Damn, now he feels guilty for letting his patience slip away on the kid. To be fair, he is quite under the duress himself. At the same time, he also has enough dignity not to snap on a kid, even an unreasonably pampered one who is supposed to be more mature than this.

"You...promise?"

"Yes, yea yea. Promise."

"Yay!" Like a flip of a switch, every ounce of dismay vanishes into thin air. "Thanks, mister!"

"Whatever, dude. You keep saying your mom this, your mom that. Where is she, by the way?"

"Mom and I were going shopping. We passed through a real busy street over there!" He points the four-way cross behind him. "Then poof! She disappeared! She's gone! The evil witch got her! Momm!" The snort threatens to return...

"Okay, so you lost your mom", Kaito squeezes the younger's nose, effectively preempting the fountain of waterfall, “she will be fine! Don’t cry!”

The boy’s face scrunches up, seemingly unhappy that Kaito is touching his face. He pushes away, still bothered to add in a few sniffles for better effects, then cheerfully addresses him. “Okie! Then Mister has to help me find mom. Then I won’t cry.”

Oh, that’s something even the Luminary of the Star would hesitate to do. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. Kaito would be more than willing to aid any kid strayed from their parents. It’s part of his self-appointed duty as a model member in society(as much as he can afford to, anyway). The thing is, he should be staying in one place to wait until Maki comes back, then maybe they can go do the heroic deed together, bets that Maki would not oppose the idea as well. More importantly, he would hate to let the girl think she was stood up. That’s just rude, and plainly irresponsible.

On the other hand, the kid looks like his next outburst would flood the entire town. 

His face twitches, ready to open the waterwork valve full power…

"Okay! Okay! I'll get you the police station alright? Then you can find your mom there."

"Really?" Once again, any sign of distress turns into sparkling excitement. The smaller's eyes twinkle as he grin triumphantly. "That's dope! Thanks, Mister!"

"Yeah. Better be quick." The nearest police station shouldn't be too far away, about less than 10 minutes of walk. He can just go and return as if nothing happened.

The astronaut lethargically trots ahead and the kid hops behind him. Not much else is said between them, with Kaito just wanting to get this over with and the kid making inane remarks solely for the sake of it. Talking about the kid, it’s not very nice to keep referring to him that way. Stressed as he is, he should still reserve some courtesy.

“What’s your name, dude?”

“Honestly, half an hour in and only now that you ask for my name? I thought adults are supposed to be more polite than that.”

This brat! “Sheesh! Go easy on me. I was caught in a bad time. Just tell me your name.”

“Mom told me not to give my name to strangers.” His head tilts inquisitively.

“But you are following me! That’s even worse.”

“Witches can do voodoos with my name.”

“Preposterous! What kind of parents tell their kids those things at this age!”

The small boy pouts, apparently offended.

“Fine, whatever. ‘s not important anyway.”

What has Kaito done that he has to deal with this.

They finally move past the congested part to a more breathable area. Significantly less people present, hurrying past and paying the pair no mind. Feels like a perfect opportunity for a thievery.

It is a perfect opportunity for a thievery. 

It happens so fast, the astronaut barely has time to react when his wallet is looted from his pocket. “What the-?!”

In a blink of an eye, the little runt is already ten feet away, astonishingly fast even for his small stature.

“Hahaha! You gullible dumbass!” 

Out of frustration, Kaito gives chase. Despite him training keeping fit daily, it's still a trying challenge to keep tail with the rascal. The damn provoking chortle rings through the street, taunting Kaito's tolerance every second on.

"Ya little shit! Get back here!" The robbed man yells, but it mostly falls into deaf ears.

The small thief lithely leaps through obstacles, from the conveniently placed trash can, to a random sign outside of a restaurant. Kaito, meanwhile, stumbles upon them and nearly trips himself over. 

The presence of pedestrians grows thinner and thinner, not that it makes much difference. No one is keen on lending a hand anyway. Honestly, if Kaito is not busy chasing after a shitty gremlin who tricked him to get his wallet, he would have been very disappointed. 

And as if running across the streets at an eye-bleary speed is not enough, the thief makes a show of hopping on a second-floor balcony and carries on the game of tag above ground.

"Ya little fucker! You definitely lied about not playing sports!" He shouts between exhausted huffs, after running probably half around the earth. His feet are so sore by then, the man has to slow down to catch his breath. Yet, with all the sprinting and jumping around, the brat doesn't even break a sweat. There's no way that agility is from someone not exercising.

"Oops. Yeah, I lied about a few things", he even has the shame to shrug and stop running, and vaulting across buildings, entirely, allowing the astronaut to close off the distance. "I did not lie about not playing sports, tho! Who needs sports anyway, when you can do this!"

He leans away from the ledge, an action dangerously resembles a certain attempt at flexing. In a millisecond there, Kaito’s muscles tense, ready to bolt to the rescue as his heart pumps to its maximum capacity to fuel every fibre of his being with adrenaline.

Although all that is for naught.

The boy performed an impressive double twirl in midair before landing soft as a cat, two feet right before him. 

The tension has yet to subside, Kaito stares at the boy, completely unharmed, and his pair of twinkling dark violet irises.

“Here’s your precious mini bank account, mister. It’s light as a feather tho, so I’m not that interested.” The brat sniggers.

The astronaut winces and makes a face at the abrupt halt. Is this really it? What’s the brat scheming?

With a little too much hesitation, Kaito reaches out to retrieve his wallet, still sitting in the thief’s hand.

“NOT!”

The kid squeals in triumph and snatches the thing away in the air. With that, the tagging game resumes.

“Ahahaha! Zero point for the naive fool! No way this is gonna end so boringly, the fun has just begun!” 

“You! Little shithead! Come back here and face me like a man!”

…

His one foot struggles to step ahead of the other. Kaito drags himself back to where he was supposed to be waiting. The dumb thief left his wallet in a random corner and disappeared without a trace. Not that he’s complaining. He would want nothing to do with that kind of meddlesome kid. Note to self next time, Kaito: beware of children, they are tiny little devils in sheep clothing. 

Maki is on the bench, tapping her feet in impatience. One look and he can tell she is not pleased.

“Where the hell have you been?” She demanded. “Also you look like a rag, what the hell happened?”

“Bothered by some stupid kid was what happened. Sorry, Maki Roll. I didn’t mean to make you wait.”

She huffs in indignance, but decides not to pursue further. There’s not much reason to press him anyway. Instead, the girl in red gazes at the end of the horizon, musing when the scenery is splattered with a brighter shade of red. 

“Whatever. Settle down. It’s almost the end of the day already.”

And they sit down, appreciating the blissful serenity of the sunset. Kaito, with how spent he is, hardly says a word. Maki, well, just as she always is, does not initiate another conversation. She leans back slightly, takes in a deep breath, then releases all the unrest and pain in her lungs. The situation is not ideal, but both of them cannot bargain for anything more in the moment. 

Emerging from the corner of his eye, a large silhouette approaches, or rather, a group of silhouettes approach. The line of kindergarten kids follow their teacher, whose hands are holding two kids’ in front. They saunter and sing an upbeat song.

_ “The frog, the cat and the mouse! _

_ They wait in front of a big big house, _

_ It’s about time! It’s about time! _

_ For Tarou the dog to arrive! _

_ Just a little more, a little more  _

_ Until Tarou can run past the door~” _

They sing, all the while partly dancing to the rhythm, a happy motion stirring the still surface of the dawn painting. Even if Kaito himself is not part of the group, he can’t help but feel a bit of him is dancing along with them, waltzing away from his physical body. 

Aight, he gotta retract the statement just above. Children are not little devils. They are the purest form of existence on earth, dammit. The sight of innocent, playful kids skipping along makes his dampened heart swim in shiny hope for the future.

“Hey, Maki Roll! Look at those cute kids! See their little legs dancing!”

“Kids are a handful. I don’t see anything fun about watching a bunch of whiny brats running around…”

“Aww, don’t be like that… See, there’s so much fun in cute kids doing cute things! I can even sing along with them!” He proceeds to hum the same melody. “I dunno what the song is, it can’t change the fact that mister Kaito is totally smitten!”

“It’s called  _ “Tarou the dog” _ .”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not that hard to deduce. It’s a nursery rhyme. A really popular one in kindergartens. As I recall… the song is about Tarou who wanted to go outside...”

"Ohhhh…. Interesting. No wonder I don't recognize it. I've never been to kindergarten!"

"Why do you sound so proud about it?" The girl eyes him in disbelief, then her look blinks away in consension, "actually, that explains a lot…"

"Hey! What do you mean?"

The conversation drowns into the soft glow. It is a momentary catharsis in the midst of arduous strains.

But eventually, just as all happy moments do not last forever, time like this has to end. When the husk of dawn retreats behind the black curtain of night. Maki props herself up from next to him, stretching her tense muscles.

"It's about time. I'm taking my leave." The girl is quickly on her heels. 

“Hey, Maki Roll!”

Called upon, she turns back to him and scowls with a hint of annoyance. “What?”

He scratches lightly at his cheek, chiding his idiotic self for not asking earlier. 

“Where are you staying for the night, may I ask?”

“Does that concern you?”

“Well, no. Not really. But you can stay at my place if you wanna. Promise there will be comfy beds and futon for you, as well as a nice TV if you’re not sleepy.” For some reason, the girl makes her most incredulous face at him, causing Kaito to revise his lines for a moment…

Oh shit. That does sound really sketchy to a girl’s ear. 

“Oof, don’t get the wrong idea! It’s a sleep-over, that’s all. Absolutely no ulterior motive whatsoever! Man’s honour!” One hand is placed over his chest, the other raised, forming the ‘I just made an oath’ gesture. 

Maki's expression only stretches further, showing the insurmountable amount of disdain she’s harbouring. She then clicks her tongue.

“Wouldn’t the others be there? Are they fine with me staying over? How about Saihara? You do know that he is not safe around me.”

“Actually, about that.” His index fingers tap against each other, searching for the right words. Not that it’s something should not be voiced, far from it. Their decision to relocate was a wise move. However, the fact that she holds inherent potential to jeopardise the group’s well-being is not something he would like to bring her attention to. “They just moved yesterday. So it’s only me there.” The man silently curses at himself for not wording it more prudently. 

“I see. That’s smart on their part.” Tapping her chin out of habit, Maki considers the options at hand. “Clearly, refuging under a proper roof would be more preferable than some dilapidated buildings…”

“Wait, what? Come again?” Please don’t tell him someone has the shame to let a girl sleep in some precarious structures? “Then you definitely have to come to my place! No way sleeping in some old abandoned houses is safe!”

“Shut up! Let me think!”

And she seriously is thinking about it, as if she has to choose between a rock and a hard place, not a rock and an obviously warm futon.

“Okay”, hesitantly, she finally decides, “I guess you wouldn’t mind a bit buggi…”

“Maki~!”

Out of nowhere, two hands sprout from behind the girl and hug her torso in a deadlock. The voice is too fakely cutesy, new yet familiar at the same time. 

“It’s you earlier! Dammit, you little shit. What else do you want?” Rather disgruntled, the astronaut approaches to pry the intrusive leech off his friend. Only then, he notices her not so sound reaction. “Maki? Maki, what’s wrong?”

“Awww, why aren’t you answering? Is that after all this time...you actually forgot about me? So cold! And here I am thinking of you every single day!”

Involuntarily, unease pools over his stomach. “...Maki Roll, you know him?”

The girl blinks once, twice. Her face is hardened into, well, he would describe it as petrification. A new look on Maki, and undeniably not a good one. She half opens her mouth a few times, struggles to find the right words, then finally…

“Kokichi?”

“Ding ding ding! Yep! That’s me!” His childish tone somehow fills the ambience with even more forebode. For a person without any context, it would look like the smaller boy relishes in watching the larger girl in his locked arms squirm, be confused, suffer. Which is exactly what Kaito’s guts are telling him. “Your one and only adorable little supreme leader, Kokichi Ouma!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's finally here for the party! ;)
> 
> ____
> 
> Also the link to the gallery if you're interested: https://seal7035.tumblr.com/tagged/tuup


	14. Initialization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Kaito's side, he is desperate. On Korekiyo's side, he is finally freed.
> 
> Out of field of sight, something is set in motion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, next chapter is not ready yet :DDD but impatient me wants to get this out alr :DDD
> 
> Me very sorry :DD, next year update schedule will be even less frequent DD':, part because next year is going to be important for me (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`), part because, well, my lazy ass. no worries, tho :D, this fic won't be going to the trash :DD

Maki’s face turns a few shades paler. 

“What’s wrong? Why the silent treatment? You’re surprised I’m here? Why, Maki! Maki! You have seen Yuuki, Yuuta and even Miki! Surely, you should have expected _ I _ would be around!” He squeezes her tighter, so tight that Kaito imagines her organs must be squished together. Yet even in that uneasy position, the girl refuses to retaliate despite her unrivaled strength. 

Maybe Kaito needs to stand up for her.

“Oi! Cut it out, you! She’s clearly uncomfortable.”

“Boohoo! Space moron go play somewhere else! This is none of your business! Geez, what a lame guy. How on earth can you stand him? You really have bad eyes for man. Orr? Or? Or? Or? You’ll eventually leave him? Right? When he becomes boring. Hehe,  _ just like how you left us _ !”

And she flinches visibly. She. Maki. Flinches visibly. Whatever that little shit just suggested to her, it’s plainly not anything good.

“Did you have fun? Leaving us for that oh horrible organization! You could have gone with us, lived a little fun life, good food, good place, good jokes,... but oh no! You just love torturing and murdering poor innocent souls instead! Right? Ma. Ki. Nee?”

His voice is unnervingly upbeat, dripping with sweet potent cyanide. It agitates Kaito even more. “Hey! I warned you, little shit! One more word and I…”

“How much blood has been on your hand, Maki? Of ten, fifteen, a hundred? A mountain of corpses?” The onslaught resumes without a hitch. “You meanie! Those corpses must be stenching so bad by now! You probably leave them there for their families and friends to discover them, too! What a savage!”

“No...no, I…”

It hurts him to see her reduced to this state.

“And, question of the day! How many of them placed their trust in you?”

No answers come. Her throat, like all other parts of her being, hardens in place. 

“Oh, ta ta ta ta! Don’t tell me, let me guess.” The little bastard feigns counting on his finger, then looks up pensively, and counts again. “Aww, how disappointing, I don’t know any of them. However”, a hideous smile creeps on those lips, his eyes thins into a malicious crescent shape, “I won’t be surprised if the number surpasses that I can count.  _ You did kill Tarou in cold blood, afterall~ _ ”. He enunciates each word, carving each syllable into her flesh.

“I…”

“That’s enough!” Kaito shouts. That was way more than enough. He can’t recall the last time someone tormented another person just for the fun of it. The way this runt licked on and savoured someone else’s every drop of fear and suffering makes his blood boil. Fist pumped backward, Kaito is ready to deliver the blow. 

Unfortunate for the astronaut's raging temper, he didn’t expect Maki to take the punch in the rascal’s place. His fist ricocheted from her arm, which extends to shield the smirking face of the damn asshole. 

The little brat sneered at him. 

“Aww, don’t get worked up over it, grouchy pants! This is only between Maki and me, no more space for peabrainers like you. If you want an interview with me, which I know you do because I’m hella cute, wait till your turn! This traitor’s homecoming session hasn’t expired yet, please be patient~~”

“You coward… lurking behind your own victim’s back…” That’s the final straw. It’s time for this little shithead to learn some manners. “FACE me and let me PUNCH that SHIT-EATING face in!”

“STOP!”

Just as he is about to lunge into a bloody battle, her desperate cry halts the feral man in his track. 

“ **Don’t pick a fight with him** ”, The cold warning pierces through his skin, and Kaito shudders. He catches the look she gives, a dead stare into his pupils. “You can’t win.” Absolute certainty is woven in her tone. “And if you hurt one strand on his head,  _ you’ll have to face me yourself _ .”

“Why?”, he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand her submission to his sadistic taunts. He doesn’t understand her insistence on covering the bastard. He doesn’t understand her willingness to foil Kaito's effort to support her. “Why are you defending him? 

“He was right about one thing.” Maki steps forward, pushing her only friend away from the breathing pain in the ass in human form, trying to put as much distance between the two as possible. “This is none of your business. I know you have the habit of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, but there are limits.”

The smug expression on the brat’s face tells just how satisfied he is with the outcomes. 

“I was only trying to help you…”, Kaito reasons, trying to get his friend to open her eyes. There is hope, he wants to tell her. That with a little bit of perseverance and cooperation, they can prevail. There is no need to let agony eat her inside out. 

“Then this is the point when you should keep that help to yourself, Momota. Go back home and forget about all of this...:” she treads back, now keeping herself as far as she can. Her gaze glides to the side, unable to face him. “Sorry about the sleep-over. I can’t join you.”

The girl leaps on her feet, too quick for Kaito to catch. At the drop of a hat, her figure dissolves into the night. 

Ouma vanishes from his spot as well. 

...

Fatigue claims his body as soon as he reaches home. 

Without much thought, Kaito invites himself into the hollow space, not bothered turning on the lights. Only yesterday, this place was filled with laughters and heartwarming banters. Well, they were all spent, but the vibrance certainly was there. To think all things turned upside down in less than a day, to have it all gone without notice...

Was this how Shuichi felt when he first came?

He supposes it’s pointless dwelling in the past. Kaito can return to their midst after all this is over. Unfavourably, today’s attempt was a failure. Not only did he get no useful information, Maki also turned reluctant towards his aid. Now the quest to save her is even less feasible.

All because of that one fucking eyesore of a brat.

He kicks the unfortunate sofa that happens to be there. “Fucking damn asshole!”

“Oh! You rang?”

The sudden breath behind him causes Kaito to jump out of his skin.

“Bloody hell where did you come from?!”

“Is this how you lots welcome guests? How rude!” The brat beckons. “We prepared everything for you, a table, a television, a kitchen… Show some hospitality, why don’t you? Where is my tea?”

“How in the world do you know this place?” Question upon question swirl in his head. The relentless unexpected events overdrives Kaito’s mental processors, he hardly pays attention to whatever info the other feeds to him. 

“Ugh! You dummy didn’t pick up anything I said, did you? I said “ _ we _ ” provided all these appliances for you. “We” here refers to DICE. I’m with DICE. See, even have the uniform.” he gestures to the unconventionaly designed white uniform, accompanied with a cape, a super dumb-looking hat and a checkered scarf.

“You are… with DICE?” The astronaut can’t help the skepticism in his voice. “Somehow you are even more intolerable than those clowns… which says a lot.”

“Thanks. That’s a compliment to my ears.”

“But wait. I haven’t bought that yet. If you are with those clowns, how come I’ve never seen you before?”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhh”, the obnoxious sound lasts more than it should, “that. Well, that’s because I’m the leader! Errands like deliveries are for peasants only.”

“You? It’s you! You’re the Boss of that bunch of hyper monkeys?”

“Yep, absolutely precisely irrevocably correct! Finally your dense brain got something right for once! But, oh, don’t call me Boss. You aren’t DICE. And I would ever allow phonies like you under my rule.” He picks on bits of his nails, an action the astronaut is sure solely for the purpose of irritating him further. “So… call me Ouma-sama!”

“Hell no!” This interaction feels weird on so many levels, and this comes from the guy who trades banter with a crazed inventor, a misandrist martial artist and a cryptic anthropologist on a daily basis. “Listen here you little shit. I don’t care what‘s your goal by coming here, but we have a bone to pick.”

“Oh, still sour over the wallet? Come on, dumb ol’ Momota-chan, I returned it to you. That teensie bit wasn’t even worth getting mad over.”

“Yeah, that teensie bit was my entire life expenses. Try to live on that in a whole month… Wait, no! That’s beside the point!” The astronaut scrambles on his lines, trying to piece the ideas together. The runt misled him from the real issue. “Those things you said to Maki.” He points a finger straight to Ouma’s face. “Don’t think I'm ever going to forgive you for that.”

“Protecting her honour, I see. What dedicated friendship~~! If Maki heard it she would have sooo moved she cries until there’s no tears left, like just an hour ago!” Ouma says sarcastically. And with how rapid the rascal switches faces, he deadpans. “But I’m taking none of those back. I’m maybe a liar, but what I said earlier was earnest. That  _ murderer _ did commit some really unimaginable deeds.” 

“You?!” His muscles tense up. Kaito knew it. He wasn’t in the wrong. This piece of shit in front of him  _ deserves _ a good beating. The astronaut balls up the checkered scarf on the other’s neck in his fist.

“But ta, ta, before your tight ass decides to jump into an unwinnable match with little cute me, listen to what I have to say.  _ You want to save her from the situation _ , don’t you?”

“Yeah. So what about it?” He barks back, merely an inch from the guy’s face, very poised to put a hole in his cocky-ass grin. 

“Ugh…” Ouma rolls eyes. “I’m two years younger than you, you know? Act more mature. Anyways, want to save Maki, right? Then I have a proposal!”

Kaito may be in deep water, but he is still woke enough to smell a fishy Ouma from miles away. “And why would I take it?”

“Listen here you cosmoron-”

“Cosmoron?! Insulting my intelligence is enough but now the whole cosmo, too?!”

“Hiss! As if it’s any different from “space idiot””, the brat grimaces with utter condescence. “You are at dead end, yes? Then this is your only chance. Else all your endeavours will be total vain. You’ll get help from me. Cute me look like this but I’m super strong, you know? Only surpassed by Maki herself. And also”, Ouma tilts his head, “I’m a valuable source of information, you see?”

And that caught Kaito’s attention. The very basis on whether he can devise an effective plan relies heavily on how much dependable information he receives. As much as Kaito hates to admit it, there’s no other plausible options for him.

“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.”

“What do you have to gain from this? Don’t you... dislike her?”

“Oh, I hate her guts. No questions asked. Those hands are soaked with so much blood and filth they disgust me to no ends. But even evil me has reasons, and I want her out. Idiots like you just have to take my words for it.”

“On what basis should I trust you?” The astronaut grunts, totally incredulous.

“The basis is that if you don’t take the deal, best case is you fail to save Maki, fail to be her knight in shining armor, and reunite with your cluster of misfits with a tail between your legs. You will regret not teaming up with me, because there won’t be any other opportunities like this in the future. There are a lot of details to know. This whole thing spirals deeper than you can ever expect. Without proper directions, you walk away in one piece at best and get  _ torn to shreds _ at worst. Those ass-wipers can trace you if you’re not careful, perhaps back to a certain group of Ultimates in hiding, too.” Ouma’s face contorts to something sinister, sending a chill down his spine. 

“Fortunately for you, I hold all the keys to tackle all those knots. I know where to go, what to do and am a master in strategies, believe it or not. But even the  _ Ultimate Supreme Leader _ requires some assistance. Our hearts may reside in different places, but we are aiming towards the same end. What do you say, Kaito Momota?” 

The self-proclaimed “Supreme Leader” outstretches his hand towards him, a clear request for alliance. Despite Ouma’s smaller stature, his silhouette towers over Kaito easily. The inky jet cape flows after him, creating a murky shape that swallows the later whole. The moon that night is so bright, its shine reaches every corner in that hollow space. Every corner, except one, where the so-called leader’s shadow is pasted against the dim moonlight, obscuring it from the other’s vision, so that Kaito’s eyes are filled with nothing but his looming image.

“Better make up your mind quickly, Momota-chan.” He reiterates. “Your dead brain cells may not comprehend, but there’s a deadline right around the corner. And once that benchmark passes, it will all be over.” 

A bad, oh terrible premonition buds in his stomach, screaming at him. It’s a bad idea, it’s a bad idea, it pleads. He needs to turn down the offer, kick that little shit out of the shelter and devise a plan by himself. Kaito has witnessed the viciousness of the brat before him and his capacity to hurt without remorse. His very presence is bad news. His so-called “proposal” is even worse. The bastard scheming something, his guts know. Yet somehow, Kaito can’t pry his eyes away from the hand.

Because there’s really no other path he can think of.

He takes it.

“Then it’s settled! The Ultimate Astronaut and the Ultimate Supreme Leader are now officially a separate team!” Ouma’s jolly tone booms too suddenly in the muted living space. “We are going to need a team name. Hmmm... let’s see, what unfathomably glamorous name would fit this occasion…Oh! I know! “The Ultimate Ruler and Entourage”!”

“That one sucks! If you want a name, get a fair one at least, I’m not your underlings dammit! Like “Apus’ or “The Liberator” or something.”

“Ew. Now that’s the ones with no taste. “Goof and Goon”. Short and sweet. Campaign commences tonight! Get yourself ready.”

“”Goof and Goon”?! That’s the worst one you can come up with!”

The alleged supreme leader clicks his tongue in disapproval, regrets kick starting the topic. “Whatevers. Call it what you like. Just hurry.”

The astronaut huffs in the momentary victory. Up until then, it has been the younger youth to steer the conversation, so getting a head of something counts as a win for Kaito, even if it is short-lived. 

However, back to the problem at hand, they might have to move fast. If Ouma was telling the truth, the two of them are on a race against time. There’s no leisure to be spared. 

Right. No room for hesitation. 

As Kaito moves on for the movement to finally take place, a piece of gadget weights in his pocket. Uh oh, the Luminary of the Stars seems to have forgotten something. He checks the time, 9.30pm. Last time he contacted Kirumi was 8.00pm yesterday. 

Mom is going to be pissed. 

“Hold on! I need to make a call”

“Really, at this hour?” Ouma squints, disgruntled. “Fine. Chop, chop! We don’t have all night!”

“Yeah, won’t take long.”

And he presses call. A distasteful ringtone chimes. Luckily, his ears aren’t subjected to torture for long as the other line is picked up almost immediately.

"Hello? Kaito?" She sounds relieved.

"Oh, hi, mom! Nice to see you again!"

Predictably, the maid reprimands him for tardiness, and goes on a whole lecture on how she would literally drive back to the old cottage if he stands them up again. She appears to be deeply concerned for his well-being, a sentiment Kaito immensely appreciates. While the astronaut is engaged with a flustered maid on the phone, something captures the supreme leader’s curiosity.

“Oh? What’s this?” Ouma picks up a dubious object, laid carelessly on the sofa. The other occupant turns around just in time to catch sight of one of Miu’s forbidden, stigmatized, shall-not-be-touched inventions. There’s always one thing remain true to Miu’s creations, no matter the circumstances, is that messing with them results in dire consequences. And Lord knows how that  _ abomination _ found its way there.

“Hey! Put that down!” Kaito covers the phone mic before shushing his asshat of a teammate.

As he feared, a devious, daring grin creeps up on the other’s face. “ _ Make me _ .”

Oh, it’s on.

…

*Knock knock*

Gonta waits for a response, just as how a gentleman would do. Breaking down doors is ungentlemanly, and Gonta won’t do so even in the far future. Still, his friend, Korekiyo has been holing up in his own bedroom for so long it starts to worry Gonta. 

The entomologist knocks on the door again.

“Korekiyo? Is Korekiyo in there? It’s Gonta.”

And he hears light shuffles on the other side.

…

_ “Hello, Shinguji-kun? It’s dinner time. You wanna join us?” Kaede had been calling for their newest member a few times, none of which received a response.  _

_ Korekiyo Shinguji, as he feebly introduced himself, was around for more than mere two days. Since then, he had been locking himself up in his own appointed space, impassive to any calling. The most actions seen from the new member was when Kirumi left a tray of food by his door, and returned to see less food on it. A few attempts were made to drag him out, but to no avail. _

_ The boy was shaken since the first second Kaede brought him back from a convention DICE advised her to go. _

_ “There might be someone you would like to meet”, they left the message. Kaede, with how much trust she put into them, did try it out. And the trip indeed did reap something. Yet now that this anthropologist was introduced into their midst, they had little idea on how to deal with him.  _

_ Nothing was said. Not even a look was given. All there was to meet the eye is a gaudy frame, long black hair and a mask with zip lock on it.  _

_ Miu appeared frustrated with his presence, or rather, lack thereof. It’s a work of wonder how swiftly the inventor made herself comfortable there in only a month, but considering her crass and not very… self-aware attitude, it made sense. Nevermind trivial points, once, Miu banged her fist on the newcomer’s door, yelling for him to come out from “the gloomy pigsty”. She was shortly escorted away by Kaito. _

_ Gonta did not approve Miu’s method, but Gonta agreed he couldn’t turn a blind eye. He knocks on Shinguji’s door. _

_ … _

_ Even though Gonta couldn’t get Shinguji out last time, this one he would succeed. _

_ Gonta came fully loaded, armor covered his entire body, prepared for the battle. _

_ In his hands was a transparent box. Inside the box was the ultimate secret weapon... _

_ A locust friend that he found in a grassfield nearby. _

_ Gonta didn’t know much about the way of anthropology, but he heard others say it was some kind of human culture study. So if there was human culture study, surely it should be close to agriculture, right? Then the man should be interested in locusts as well, since these little jumpy fellas were frequently tied with paddy fields and harvests, as a book taught Gonta.  _

_ Gonta watched his locust friend hop enthusiastically inside the box. He smiled to himself.  _

_ “Shinguji-kun would love this!” _

_ … _

_ Almost two weeks had passed, and the times any of them saw the new anthropologist’s face could be counted on a single hand. As they grew more and more vexxed, the less and less they knew what to do. Shinguji had not joined them in a single meal, or any activities. Angie was the most vocal about this lack of participation, urging everyone to “break down that irksome door and drag Korekiyo out by the neck”. Miu, unsurprisingly, endorsed that idea with both of her hands and feet.  _

_ Fortunately Tenko managed to tackle her down before the inventor actually carried out the act.  _

_ Those in opposition applauded. _

_ After the commotion was cleanly swept away by Kirumi, Gonta lingered at the unbreachable doorstep.  _

_ He knocked once. Then twice. Then thrice,... _

_ No answers. It was almost as if the person on the other side was already dead and unable to reponse. But Gonta knew better. Food on the tray Kirumi usually left there did not magically vanish into thin air. The person inside that room must still be alive, breathing stuffy air in that closed space since there was no ventilation.  _

_ So stuffy, so dark… _

_ His hand trembled against the cold surface of the door knob.  _

_ No, bad thoughts, Gonta. Bad thoughts. _

_ He took a deep breath, and called again.  _

_ “Don’t you have anything better to do?” _

_ And Gonta’s heart stopped for one second. He stood there dumbfounded because the impossible voice came from just the inside, the untouchable place that many failed to conquer, all gave up half-way or died trying. Gonta’s mind whirls to make sense of the development that his eyes couldn’t see. A rush of excitement rose in his stomach.  _

_ “You. Come everyday. There are many people around. But you are the only one who knocks on my door. Every. Single. Day. Why? What makes you so insistent?” _

_ “Because Gonta doesn’t want to leave you there, Shinguji-kun.” He replied naturally.  _

_ “What good would that do for you? Humans’ very nature is driven by self-service and indulgence. Tell me, what do you aim to achieve by recurring such futile endeavours? How would I be of use? To be indebted to you? To be your slave? Your play doll? Just like her, the person whom I swore my life to only to get chowed down like a disposable lump of meat. Or is it the gratification of defeating infeasibility, by being the first one to pull Korekiyo Shinguji out of his fortier?” A distinct huff was spat out. “Name your price, and I’ll consider whether to grant it…” _

_ “What is Shinguji-kun talking about?” _

_ “What?” Shinguji bit with force. _

_ “Gonta is dumb, so Gonta doesn’t get what Shinguji-kun is on about… What price? What meat? Sometimes you all speak in ways that Gonta can’t understand…” He falters as confusion pervades. “The others are the same. But it’s okay. Gonta accepts he’s not smart. He knows they all like him the way he is. So Gonta is sure they will like you, too! Why isn’t Shinguji-kun coming out for them to like him?” _

_ “It’s all lies. No one can like me. If even my sister cannot, then the chance of someone else does is null. Nonexistent. Despite that, your group generously provided me a habitable space, food and drink.That all is enough. No need for those acrid things called friendship and companionship, for they all are a mirage woven by years upon years of deception, betrayal and deaths. Simply on this side of the world is the perfect environment to thrive in.” _

_ “No, that’s wrong.” Gonta feels the invisible hand clutched at his heart. “No way being trapped in that dark place by yourself will make you happy.” _

_ “And why wouldn’t I be, young man? There is no pain nor suffering on this side.” _

_ “But there is no one, is there?” _

_ “...” _

_ “Hey, Shinguji-kun, please open this door. Everyone on this side is looking forward to welcoming you, but we can’t do so if we can’t see Shinguji-kun. Yet Shinguji-kun prefers that place rather than out here…” _

_ Gonta could feel a weight pressed against the wooden surface, on the other side.  _

_ “...” _

_ “Gonta knows. Being in a dark place all by yourself is very scary. Even when you are injured and hurt, there is no one to help you. No matter how much you cry or scream, your voice won’t be heard…” He gripped on the chilling metal surface of the knob, remembered how he had tried to pull himself out of darkness. “So Gonta can’t ignore you! Shinguji-kun may believe he wants to be by himself in there, the truth is, being locked in the dark is painful!” _

_ “...Keh…”, the sudden noise nearly made Gonta jump out of his skin, “Hehehehehehehehe…” The laughter persisted. “Seems like being trapped in the dark is a sore spot for you.” The anthropologist ranted on in between his snickers. Gonta couldn’t help swallowing the lump in his throat. “Worry not, Gonta Gokuhara, because my life up until now has been inside the womb of darkness. I am loved and caressed by it, always… by myself, only me…” _

_ Hysteria died down upon realization, giving its final breath.  _

_ “No, that’s not true. She was there, but she doesn’t count, does she…? No, she does, because she’s the only one...” _

_ Incoherent mumbles were the only sound heard between the two of them, on and on and on… _

_ The weight on the door disappeared, accompanied by a dull thump.  _

_ “I apologize, I will not forget you again, I apologize, I apologize…” _

_ “Shinguji-kun-” _

_ “SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!” _

_ The beastial roar was the only thing keeping Gonta from tearing that door down by his bare hands. Shinguji’s shaky voice echoed, “please leave, I will consider joining you, but for now please, just leave me alone…” _

_ His heart twisted like someone squeezing it dry of blood. Gonta wanted to remain, making sure his housemate is okay. However, the gentlemanly side in him told him to respect another’s privacy, in this case was to acquiesce to Shinguji-kun's request and hope he would overcome it eventually… _

_ So Gonta left, wishing that the man would soon leave his own darkness. _

_ … _

_ Later that day, a very pallid Korekiyo Shinguji joined them for dinner for the first time, stirring a ruckus in their otherwise peaceful evening. A very loud one, but not a disconcerting one. _

_ The man of the night frowned, however, no one could tell if there was a smile under his mask. _

_ … _

The door opens, revealing the anthropologist in question. 

An involuntary sigh of relief escapes Gonta. 

“Hello, Korekiyo! Gonta is wondering if Korekiyo is interested in watching bugs with Gonta again!” He proudly holds up the transparent box with the wing-flapping creature in it. “Roachie makes very good company. Korekiyo can tell Gonta about cockroaches, too!”

His friend, who just stumbled out of his new bedroom, takes leisure adjusting his mask. Korekiyo sometimes uses a medical one, but today he wears his infamous zipped mask. The man raises an eyebrow. 

“So this is the culprit of the panic yesterday. Kehehe, what mighty power this little fella possesses.”

Gonta lifts a box higher, as if showing off a trophy, staring at his friend with an expectant smile. 

“Unfortunately, Gonta, I have business to attend to today. Our dearest barber boy Rantarou will be giving me a haircut. It is an honour to have my hair trimmed by his talented hands.”

The lanky man brushes through a lock of black hair in between his fingers. He plays with it while talking, giving the strands a gentle but resolute look. One last time before it is separated from his body.

“Oh..”, the entomologist’s shoulders sag. He brightens immediately, “Can Gonta join you then?”

“Of course! I am sure Rantarou would be more than happy with you around.” Casually, he lifts a finger, diverting Gonta’s attention.

Behind the anthropologist, the door slowly shuts, hiding darkness from view. But Gonta peers through it in that tiny moment and catches the glow of a mirror.

…

The box sits in his lap innocently as he waits for the main guest to arrive.

Shuchi is taking the role of a delivery man today, and he better not mess this up. Wait, how can he get so nervous at this instance? It’s only giving Korekiyo the gift, right? Not much can go wrong. 

Angie’s face manifests itself.  _ “Tomorrow is a special day for Korekiyo...Try to do it with a smile, too!” _

The space between his eyebrows creases. The ex-detective has little clue on what she meant by special day, but he supposes it is important. 

He encountered the anthropologist just outside Rantarou’s shared room with Gonta. Well, the former could have simply dropped off the box and called it a day, however, the boy felt like it would undermine the sentiment the artist wished to convey, even if she’s intentionally absent. 

Plus, since Shuichi already has plenty of time to spare, he offered to wait, watching them doing their things in the empty yard in front of the cottage. 

*Snip*

A flock of black hair falls down, laying flat on the ground. Korekiyo is at the centre, with their personal barberman working on his long hair, and Gonta frolicking in circles. Those three are having fun, he can tell. And with each inch of hair shorter, a content smile can be seen on the anthropologist’s face. 

The more hair he loses, the less he looks like a maiden. Carrying himself with partial feminine mannerism has always been a part of the anthropologist. His walk more often than not daintily swings the lanky figure from side to side, with the flow of black river of strands following suit. Perhaps it is the whole point. The man no longer wants it to be a defining trait of his. 

Shuichi knows the session is over once Rantarou weaves his scissors in the air with a swoop “Done!”. He props a mirror for his customer to see, showing off his handiwork. The long hair is now shortened to reach half of his neck, with its tail carefully curled inward into a bob style. 

“You can sign up for the “bob-gang” with Himiko. Ask her for the applicant sheet.” The barberman jokes. 

“I should politely decline. Tenko would shave me hairless if I dare approach her Himiko-sama.” Korekiyo responses, half skittishly, half scared out of his life. 

The giant entomologist hops around in excitement and showers his friend with endless compliments. Gonta is too pure for the world. 

It takes them some time to clean up, but soon enough Korekiyo joins Shuichi on the table.

“So what is it that you wish to see me?”

“Nothing much, really. There’s something I want to deliver.” The ex-detective removes the box from its comfy position on his lap and presents it to Korekiyo. “It’s from Angie.”

“Angie?” The name flies out of his mouth, as if he doesn’t expect to hear it at all. “...I thought she was very upset with my actions. It feels like she has been distancing herself from me”.

“In a sense, she kind of did…”, the youth under the hat mutters, mostly to himself. 

Korekiyo’s golden eyes glide over the small box, with a tiny, cute ribbon neatly tied on it. You can tell it was made with heart. 

“Well, I think you should open it yourself.” 

Gently, Shuichi slides the box over. Korekiyo, eyes still trained on the intricate design of the wrapper, accepts it. One would assume present wrapper to be purchased from convenient stores. A few cents and an entire patch of wrapper belongs to you. However, when it comes to their local artist, even these things are hand-made, from her own paper and paint, with hours of work spent on making unique, one of a kind products. 

With a satisfying “ziiip” , the ribbon comes undone. The recipient of the gift lifts up the lid of the box, and peers inside. His hand digs inside the thing to pick up the gift itself. Shuichi follows the motions…

The small thing’s ceramic surface throws back the light shining on it. It’s a miniature with long black hair, tiny arms and legs, unmistakably Korekiyo. A tiny Korekiyo that fits just right in the big Korekiyo’s palm. The anthropologist carefully sways his present around, admiring the details put into the work. He then pulls out a small card laying at the bottom of the box, skimming through the content…

“...”

“...”

*Drip*

Shuichi’s mind halts. 

“K-Korekiyo?!”

“I’m sorry, ha… I didn’t think she would remember…” The man wipes at the corner of his eye. “I didn’t think she actually cared…”

Korekiyo quickly places the card, then the small statue back in the box, then carries it with him. His arm squeezes the thing against his torso. On his feet, he is very ready to leave.

“Thank you”, the anthropologist doesn’t forget a light bow.

“Ah, wait!” Shuichi is fast enough to call out, there’s still another thing Angie requested of him. The other occupant turns to him, making the ex-detective a bit nervous. He brings out a tight smile. “Congratulations.” 

Goodness knows what this occasion is, but clearly it’s a day that Korekiyo holds value. At least, Shuichi can be nice and offer his felicitations. 

Korekiyo nods in return, before retreating back to his room. With his mask on, his facial expression cannot be seen, but the ex-detective reckons there is also a smile underneath. 

…

Their (self-appointed) caretaker, plus surrogate mom, is listless. More than an hour and Kaito has yet to contact them. It has only been the second day and he already forgets…

Maybe something happened?

No, that shouldn’t be right. It hasn’t been that long. If so many unfortunate incidents get crammed up in such a small time frame without proper reason, either their already stinky luck is damned to the ground, or whoever up there hates them. Well, they aren’t bad kids, but Shuichi is pretty sure some of them have committed some really questionable things. 

When the(ugh, why Miu) hideous ringtone finally rings, Kirumi grapples the phone like an eagle seizes its prey. 

When she sighs in relief an exhale escapes him as well. Of course, it wouldn’t go  _ too _ wrong. Right, right. Everything is in control.

Then why is his brain convinced something will go  _ horribly _ wrong?

Once the conversation with their quirky astronaut is over, Kirumi looks over to Ryoma with a light head shake, causing him to chuckle. That’s Kaito for them.

The two wrap things up and call it a day. Shuichi is also up from his spot near the top of the stair, hence they couldn’t see him.

The ruckus transpired was not anyone expected. Despite the changes, the lot is trying to settle down, trotting along the rhythm of normalcy.

Then, a loud “bang” on their door signals another ripple in the supposedly quiet water.

The sound catches the maid’s attention. As the door creaks open, white and checker pop into sight.

“Good evening! How’s the new place going?” Jack, leading a whole group with similar dressing, greets, oddly cheerful. “Oh, don’t give us that look. We bring good surprises! Who’s thrilled for a slumber party?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About Korekiyo's important day, it's the day that his life changed completely. Hehe, not that hard to guess.  
> ____
> 
> New Year is coming in two days :DD Yipee! Bye bye 2020, won't miss you :DD
> 
> To the readers, early wish for you, all the best in 2021!（＾∀＾●）ﾉｼ


	15. Loading...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one with DICE. As expected, peace is never an option.
> 
> \---  
>  _The frog, the cat and the mouse!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aight, finally can get this one out.
> 
> 25/2: sorry :( no update this month. prolly i wont be around for the next month either. but uh,... there are plenty other cool fics on the site, maybe you would like to check them out :DD. this one over here will get a new chapter at some point, but it's gonna take some time.

It’s the third day. Third day since the last time the gorgeous golden Ultimate Inventor Miu Iruma worked on one of her ingenious inventions. Her hands itch just from the thought of inactivity. 

Like a jack-in-the-box toy, Miu springs off her bed and rushes immediately for her morning run. 

As she fleets past the living area, a cheery voice greets, “Good morning!”

“Yeah, morning, ya piece of-”, wait, whose voice was that?

Boisterously perched on the seat, is a twat in white uniform, with hair pointing like an onion.

It doesn’t take long for the inventor to tell just who that is.

“Holy mother fucking shit!! A fucking clown!” Miu nearly chokes on her own spit.

“Yesh! How rude! Has anyone ever taught you manners, Iruma-san? When a guest pays a visit you are supposed to show them hospitality, not this whole cussing and theatrics.” The puny twat sighs and asks their local maid. “How do you guys stand her?”

“It got old after a while.” The maid shakes her head in powerlessness. “Although, Miu, learning to be more benign in your approaches will benefit you in the long run. And yes, good morning to you as well. Do enjoy your morning jog.”

“Like hell I’m going to enjoy any jog if those clowns are around wrecking havoc! What are those turds doing here?

“Oi! Unlike your untitled cluster, we have a name, you see!” Another clown with pigtails- Twister Cones - giggles behind Onion head. “It’s spelled D! I! C! E! DICE! Repeat after me! D. I. C. E. DICE!”

“Fuck off!”

The two jesters snigger as Miu whips her head around to get on the damn jog. What a way to start the day. As if their own group isn’t already a bunch of walking jokes.

And by cruel fate the inventor slams face first into a burly form in her way.

“Hololo? What is this tiny little furry ball doing here?” The big clown with red Afro hair picks the “furry ball” by the shoulders, feigns patting on them. “Awwww, look at that crumpled face! It’s like quicksand sucking up all your nose and skin and mouth… So cute! Makes me wanna keep you~ And feed you~ And pet you~…”

“Cute Iruma-san! Cute Iruma-san!”

The third chortle joins in the flock of obnoxious, hysteric clown guffaw. The damn chorus reverberates through her ears, into her brain, coursing through the synapses between her neurons. And it’s irking her from inside out.

Damn does she want to murder those clowns. Miu hides her secret weapon inside her pants pocket, waiting for the opportunity to strike. 

Just as the Afro Pubehead wheezes to catch his breath, Miu brandishes her ultimate secret weapon. She holds it tight and powerful, and jabs it at the snotty red nose on the mask with force to cut that clown to silence.

“Eat. My. Ass.” She pulls her middle finger back at every word. “This golden girl genius has zero time to fuck with you retards. I better not see you shits mess anything up because then I’ll mess you up! Gyahaha!” The inventor cackles with pride as she successfully puts the clowns to their place. Stay there for good, suckers.

“Oiii~ I heard someone forgot their [ **censored** ] in an alley the other day!” and her heart bursts into thousands of shameful pieces. 

Onion head is now calling out, one foot on his seat, one foot on the table top, earning a disapproving look from Kirumi. 

Twister Cones removes the bandana on her bicep, waving it like a rally flag. “[ **censored** ]! [ **censored** ]! Who could be so careless to leave that thing around? Don’t you know [ **censored** ] holds omnipotent power desired by countless power-hungers around the globe? If [ **censored** ] falls into the wrong hands, it will cause the destruction of the world! An apocalypse caused by [ **censored** ], because someone did not take care of their [ **censored** ] enough! Alas, how ir-[ **censored** ]-ponsible!”

“Fucking hell! Ir-[ **censored** ]-ponsible is not a fucking word! You clown just want to say [ **censored** ] to humiliate me!” Frustrated Miu retaliates. She swears, each time that word is repeated she dies inside a little. 

“Huh?” Twister Cones tilts her head innocently. “Is it so wrong to say [ **censored** ]? [ **censored** ] is such an important thing, right? So important that whoever owned that [ **censored** ] carried it with her, so much to lose it in some dubious alley, then almost got a cardiac arrest over it! Because [ **censored** ] plays such an enormous role, it shouldn’t be shunned away! Anyone who is anti-[ **censored** ] is a [ **censored** ] shaming and should reflect upon themselves!”

No good, her health bar is too low right now. Just that  _ one  _ incident. It haunts her in the dreams till this day. And those damn laughingstocks know about that  _ one _ weak spot of this otherwise infallible genius golden fortress. Shit, she underestimated them. What would be a good comeback for this sticky predicament…

“H-ha! You clowns thought you had me by the tail, but get off the fucking high horse!” She balls up Afro’s uniform in her fist. “Who gives a dippity fuck about [ **ce** ]-[ **censored** ]? You know what’s even more atrocious than forgetting a [ **censored** ] in an alley? Your bird-shit colored uniform!” The strawberry-blond howls in victory. “The design makes you bunch look like walking heaps of bird turds! Not to mention you clots smell, too! If my brain weren’t made of 10 karat gold, it would have mistook some gigantic flying dinosaur dump-bombed the city!”

With her mouth laughing so wide it might catch a fly, Miu waltzes out of the door while the rest still stand dumbstruck, thus securing her upperground.

“So long, losers!”

Only when the inventor’s roar fades in the distance does Red Afro thumb in her direction, confused, “What’s up with her?”

…

Break-fast feels much more crammed than usual. It can’t be helped. Normally there aren’t 9 more bodies stuffed in a table that’s already too small for their group of twelve(or eleven, since Kaito is not around).

Kirumi gracefully poised in front everyone present, glancing left and right. Kaede accompanies on her left, albeit a little more unsure than the maid. When the last member, Miu, returns from her jog, oddly smug, the maid makes her announcement.

“I’m certain all of you have noticed. There are more people around than usual. The news came abruptly to us as well, but…” she side-eyed the set of clowns on her right, looking as if resisting a groan, “DICE will be staying with us for the time being.”

“Yup! Yup!” Jack hoists up from where he sits, taking over the conversation, “Recently, our headquarters became inhabitable. What a tragedy that befell on our beloved home! It saddened our family to no end! My heart of glass shattered over the future lying ahead of my cute little siblings and dear ol’ seniors! *Sobs! Unfortunate for us,... but fortunate for you! Since your cluster of misfits just gained 9 more members! Isn’t it elating?”

“Elate my ass! This place houses enough baboons already, anymore and you prehistoric monkeys will beat it to the ground!” The inventor protests.

“Uhm… I don’t have so much problems with the new arrangements… but you can at least let us know what happened to your place.” Shuichi questions, ever the inquisitive one.

“Oh yeah”, the clown with swept hair plops back to his chair, shrugging. “The plumbing system was busted. That whole place is flooded now.”

“Thanks to someone “closely””, the girl with twin tails, Hearts, sarcastically air quotes, “monitored every appliance around, we now have a free swimming pool at home. Excellent job, air-head.”

“Hey, be easy on your big-bro. Appreciate the effort raising you. Just now is not how you kids should talk to elders.”

“You will get that respect when you act like one.” Hearts folds arms in front of her chest and huffs.

Jack’s face cannot be seen because of the mask, but it’s pretty obvious he’s grimacing

“Anyhow, back to the topic. As we are all going to share the same roof, it’s only fair that everyone knows who we are and how to address us. Be honoured, folks. Not all people have a glimpse at these Miss World faces. Bring it on, guys!” The man claps, like a call for ‘performers’ to walk out of the curtains.

One by one, the DICE members remove the mask adorning their faces, revealing them to the world for the first time. Most of them, at least, as they have known how Jack and Queen looked like.

“Thank you, thank you. You can stop the applause now, make me feel a bit embarrassed.” The leader of the squad waves his hand around, pretending there were audiences cheering for him. “Pretty sure most of you already knew me by the name Jack. I did host a lot of our meetings and deliveries. Welp, you can continue to refer to me as Jack, or per my beautifully blessed name, Yuuta. Yuuta Ouma. Nice to work with ya!” The guy offers a dopey grin as he gestures to the next in line.

Hearts steps in front. Her eyes glint a spark of mischievousness as the girl bobbles her head, causing her twin tails to swing along.

“Morning, sunshines! Hearts’ speaking! My favourite food is donuts, cakes and most kinds of sweets! If you wanna ask me for anything, be sure to prepare a sizable delicacy as payment, else I won’t have the energy to tend to you!” The girl hops on her feet, brimming with energy. “Oh, you can call me Yuna, too, if that works.”

As Hearts, Yuna plops back to her chair, an odd pair takes her place. On the right is a skinny boy with hair slicked up into a peculiar shape, almost like an onion. The one on the left is the opposite. His plumb, round body takes up a considerable amount of space. However, by some miracle, the smaller one doesn’t look like being squished by the larger’s body.

“Yoooo!!! Head up! Guys, cuz Club and Spade are here for the ride! I’m Ruuto, and this thicc boy over here is my sparring partner, Kousuke! Oi, Almighty Cannonball”, Ruuto slaps on his friend’s back, “say something!”

Kousuke bites on the tip of his thumb. “Ehh? No way, I hate strangers…” He spares a cursory glance over his temporary housemates and pouts. “Hmph. I barely know about any of you, but you guys haven’t been so bad till now. I guess we can get along… Maybe, yeah. Except for that messy hair girl over there, she scares me.” The chubby guy points finger at their local Ultimate Inventor, prompting for her retort.

“Gorgeous me haven’t touched a single cell on your scalp, Baldie!”

“Jeez, that is the reason why, Iruma-san. So crude!” The one with the strange hair cut complains, “come on, big guy, let’s leave her for the time being.”

Once the pair make their exit, the largest one among DICE raises his hand from where he sits. “Hololo, Ace here”, Red Afro humbly waves, “name is Midori. Let’s get along.” He nudges a tiny girl in his arms awake, a brunette with two familiar braids in her hair. “Hey, Yuuki. Your turn.”

“Ah, hello everyone.” The little girl meekly speaks. “Yuuki’s name is Yuuki Ouma. Most others call Yuuki Diamond, but Yuuki would prefer everyone to use her real name… Last time, she couldn’t properly introduce herself, so she is glad she has the chance to now. Yuuki is grateful that everyone helped her last time…”

She shifts slightly in Midori’s large cradle, careful not to disturb her right shoulder. If you squint, you can see Kaede’s subtle wince at that movement. Angie nods in acknowledgement.

“So most of the kids are done already… who else?” The woman with short hair contemplates. “Ren! You’re up!”

A gaudy youth with short, grey hair emerges from a corner. No one is aware how long he has been there, or if he has been there at all. His presence goes undetected up until then, so when he appears, almost all non-DICE members’ hearts jump. “Codename is Joker, real name is Ren. Glad to make acquaintances”, and the boy retreats back to his comfort-zone. That was… anticlimactic. They have expected more with the enigmatic vibe.

The woman drops her head into her palm, sighing dramatically. Evidently, she hoped Ren would put more effort into his introduction. “Pardon these rowdy kids”, the statement earns a few groans from the younger ones, to which she shushes them. “If they ever cause problems, report it to me so I can keep these little runts in line.” She ruffles the Ruuto and Yuna’s hair, who are conveniently sitting by her sides. The two juniors whine under her touch, but do not push the hands away. “Anyways, I’m Miki, but those outside of DICE know me as Queen. Isn’t it nice we reveal ourselves to you? That means you folks have our trust!” Playfully, Miki winks. “Let’s be besties from now on!”

Jack, or rather, Yuuta grumbles. “Miki-nee, you are so cheesy…”

“Buahaha! Learn to be honest a little, Jackie Jack!” The man with tanned skin wrestles him by the neck. The man looks like the oldest one among everyone present. “Hiya! My name is Shinya. Little Ruuto over there gave me the title ‘King’, all due credits go to him!” The large man flashes a thumb up, to which the boy returns equally. “We’ll wreck some balls later, boys” Shinya scratches under his nose. “And that’s about all of us.” Gracefully, he concludes. “Any questions?”

Naturally, Shuichi raises his queries. “Um, so, to my knowledge, there are 10 people in DICE, correct? But there are only nine of you here…”

“Ahhh, that.” Yuuta muses at the question. “Well, someone had to stay and call a plumber, and make sure everything doesn’t turn to shit. So we decided our dear Boss should take the position!”

“Isn’t he your leader? Since he’s called Boss…”

“Yeah! Shouldn’t you be the one taking responsibility, Yuu-nii? You were in charge of that thing!” Yuna calls, annoyed.

“Ehhhhhhh? Then big-bro will be separated from you snotty kids, won’t I? Yuu-nii would be so lonely, he’ll cry in his bed! Kokichi is caught up with his own things all day, anyways. Wouldn’t you rather his second-in-command to go with you guys instead?” The jester clears his throat. “But whatevs. He volunteered to take care of the headquarters, anyways. Probably because that guy is shy since he never once interacted with you lots. Our leader appears sturdy, but maybe underneath he’s just a softie!”

Ruuto cringes in disdain. “Yuck, Kokichi? Shy? Softie? That’s some bullshit if I ever heard one.”

“Wow, imagine him hearing that. To think his sweet little siblings see him as some dried up monster, our Boss would be so heart-broken his tears will fill up the ends of Earth.”

Yuna, Kousuke and Ruuto simultaneously make the grouchiest face known to mankind, “sure he will…”

There are still more inquiries in Shuichi’s mind. He mumbles under his breath, “How about-”

“Oi! We’re done with our part here! Shouldn’t you lots introduce yourselves as well? Gotta be fair, ya know?” The clown with swept hair interrupts, whether it’s intentional or not, either way, Shuichi couldn’t get to ask his second question. 

“Then I suppose it’s basic etiquette for us to do the same, even though you should have been familiar with all of us.” Kirumi responds to the request.

And hence, the group of Ultimates take their turn around the table, in an orderly manner, albeit a bit messy at times. 

It goes as well as one should expect.

…

It has been an hour since someone last entered the bathroom. And that person has been holing up in there since then.

Rantarou recognizes the need for relief and the addictive ecstasy of getting rid of unnecessary substances in your body. 

Nevertheless, that doesn’t excuse the selfishness of taking the whole bathroom to oneself and refusing to share it with the others. While it’s kind of dickish to force someone out during the ‘ongoing business’( everyone has the right to leisure in bathrooms afterall), one hour of that leisure may come at the cost of vexation from another person. Especially if they are sharing that place with 19 other individuals.

And even though the green-haired boy does not want to admit it, he’s really desperate right now. A drop of sweat rolls down his forehead. His hands tremble. His knees are about to give up under own’s weight. The boy is on the verge of breaking down the door and dragging whoever in there by the neck.

That being said, Rantarou still reserves some constraints since he has the leniency of a top-tier big brother. So he resorts to the one method whenever one of his sisters is too stubborn. 

Conversation.

“H-hello? The person in there?” He taps lightly on the door, taking every ounces of his being to sound composed. “Sorry to interrupt, but are you finished?”

Please let the person be a male. If it turns out to be one of the girls, this would be extra awkward. Plus, Tenko won’t take this well.

“Aha! Pent up, aren’t cha?” A croaky voice returns. Thank goodness. “Wait for me a minute or two. I’m almost there, just a bit more…”

So the person is almost done. This lights up some hope. Maybe Rantarou can hold it up a little more.

*Thud* *thud* *thud*...

Dull sounds escape the bathroom’s threshold. 

*Thud* *thud* *thud*

What’s going on in there?

*Splashed*, followed with a disgruntled grunt.

Finally, after a few somewhat eternity long minutes, a flushing sound of toilet can be heard.

The gate to paradise opens at last. Endowed in its gleamy glory is the tall figure of Shinya, who pats on his empty bowels and erupts a satiated laugh.

“Young man, you have courageously conquered this adversity.” The man in the light grounds him by the shoulders with two strapping hands. “Come. Take your prize, savour it with everything you have left.”

And he left. His presence remains only a fleeting breeze.

Rantarou turns towards where the man headed, perplexed. Well, as long as he can use the bathroom now.

He makes sure to get things done quickly. As the boy reaches out to the box of paper roll, his hand grabs at air.

Eh? He tried a few more times, in hope that it’s not what he thinks it is.

The boy opens his eyes to see the roll of paper, bare of white. Before he has any time to react, something drops from the ceiling, hitting the ceramic floor with a splash.

Rantarou’s eyes instinctively draw upwards.

A clown face made of wet toilet paper greets him.

…

Cold, steamy vapour is the only thing filling their empty space of a refrigerator.

Kirumi can’t help but feel some of the emptiness pervading her heart as well.

Twenty mouths, almost no food left to feed.

Well, the maid has expected they would run short on sustenance, but not their whole ration for the week gone. Food was still there when she checked that morning, so that means something, or rather, someone is leeching on their resources. 

She turns around when two pairs of footsteps enter the scene.

Ren, with his mouth stuffed like a chipmunk, stops dead in his track when he is met with the maid’s reprimanding look. The boy swiftly regains his nonchalant pose, pointing to the large clown behind him. 

The clown in Red Afro waves and shakes his head like crazy, totally upset to be framed. 

Ren, still chewing, nods like his life depends on it.

"..."

Perhaps it’s partly herfault to hold them above petty antics. 

Kirumi squeezes her eyes shut wearily, chiding, “That was supposed to be our food supply for the week. I was hoping it would be enough to fill our stomachs for at least till tomorrow. Groceries can be a chore, especially since we are in a region most of us aren’t familiar with.” She calmly pulls the refrigerator door shut. “I also found toilet paper on the bathroom’s ceiling and I don’t think any of our members would pull that stunt.” Those were a hassle to clean up, since they were stuck on such an unconventional surface. “Please be more considerate, we are sharing the same roof, now, afterall.”

The two DICE members hang their heads low.

“I’m sorry, miss Maid”, monotonic from Ren.

“I’m sorry, miss Maid, holo...”, and comical from Midori.

At least the apologies sound sincere.

“*Sigh* You two can make up to this by buying the groceries for lunch, I guess.”

And two boys perk up immediately. 

"Alright, please stay put. I will give you some bucks. Do be hurried, lunch time is near."

Two heads nod like chopping.

"And please refrain from spending on unnecessary treats. Our fund is limited…", on second thought, given how these clowns have been pranking and causing troubles, them doing the exact same of what told not to do shouldn't come as a surprise. Kirumi furrows her brows.  _ No clowns in this house should be roaming free unsupervised. _

What a bother. The maid still has some cleaning to do, so she cannot accompany these mischievous boys.

Thankfully, rescue comes when their Ultimate Tennis Pro pokes his head in from the second floor.

"Hey, Kirumi. Mind me buying some new cat food? M'match still hasn't touched her bowl. Maybe she got bored of the meat chips."

"Ryoma, excellent timing. These two youths are about to get our groceries as well."

Kirumi's gloved hand beckons for the boys, to which their spines snap straight like rubber.

"Y-yes! Please take good care of us!", Midori comes across as more anxious.

"Please take good care of us", Ren repeats with his bored tone.

Ryoma thumbs in their direction and arches a brow. The maid nods in affirmation. The small man eyes them again in brief skepticism.

And thus, begins the grand adventure of a mismatched trio.

…

A fine line of ink is produced on a thin comic page. And another, then another. The repetitive motion is heavily hardwired into the hand of the artist, effortlessly giving birth to smooth lines that define the brand of Angie Yonaga. Such a feat is a struggle for a non-artist, but not for an Ultimate whose whole intended purpose is to draw as much as possible.

Angie doesn’t despise drawing, but she despises the way many mangas are produced.

The length  _ they _ are willing to go in order to mass produce soulless and cliche stories, all for a quick buck.

Nevertheless, there’s no denying this job is the most suitable for her to help with the finance, since Angie can’t let her face be recognized by  _ those people _ .

Then, if she has to do it, at least she wants to make the story as unique and heartfelt to her as possible.

The Ultimate Artist is absorbed into her work when she hears small footsteps.

“Yuuki! Glad to see ya~~”

“Hi, Angie.” The little girl walks in, albeit a little wobbly on her feet.

“Come, come! Have a seat, dear friend!” The artist enthusiastically hops over, then tenderly guides her friend to a wooden stool and sets her in. “How’s the shoulder?” Per well-versed habit, Angie’s hand hover above the layers of bandages, “Does it still hurt?”

Yuuki shakes her head gently. She musters a smile, “An injury like this is nothing to Yuuki! She’s very strong, see!”

“Nyahaha! Nothing can rival the strength of a proud clown. Except for Kamii-sama, of course, but that’s a given.”

“Hehe, can’t be further than the truth. One day, Yuuki is gonna grow strong like Midori and Yuuta-nii! Just you wait!”

“That’s the spirit!”

The DICE girl observes Angie’s so-called ‘studio’, which technically is her shared bedroom with Tenko and Himiko. On Angie’s side, there are art supplies lying around, a trusty easel, some blank canvases, paint, and lots and lots of paper all packed in a corner. The space is filled with acrylic scent, plus some aroma from Himiko’s potions. The girl’s eyes lay on a stack of inked manga pages.

“So you have been working on this?” Naturally, she picks up the stack. It has been a silent consensus between them. As long as Angie doesn’t say no, Yuuki is free to touch any of her belongings. The degree of trust they have for each other is amount to trusting oneself. After all, this girl is one of Angie’s first friends. This privilege also extends to one other person, however,...

“I see, you are going with this story… Makes sense. It’s a fresh breath from the other mangas Ruuto often hoards.”

“Glad you like it!”

“Angie’s works are the best! Let’s see, the story is about…”

…

_ Dolly is one of many. Dolly is one. Dolly is many. The name “Dolly” can be addressed as an individual or a collective body.  _

_ If one asks whether the “Dolly” mentioned is which one of those above, then the answer is: it doesn’t matter. _

_ Because whether by a whole group or by oneself, “Dolly” is empty. It doesn’t have feelings, nor personality, nor beliefs, nor a will. The name “Dolly” itself can hardly be considered a name, as it is more of a way to refer to an object.  _

_ How does that work, you may ask? Imagine a Doll toy, or a ball of Wool. You would call them “Doll” and “Wool”, correct? But you won’t say those are names, because they are only nouns used to distinguish one object to another. _

_ The same works with Dolly. A good mass-produced for an intended purpose. _

_ But, what if, one day, something manifests in ‘a Dolly’? What if ‘a Dolly’, by some miracle, manages to obtain a soul, and starts to behave differently from ‘other Dollies’? It would have characters, hobbies, opinions, and most of all, a will.  _

_ Can it be considered “Dolly” anymore? Is it right to call it an “it” anymore? _

_ This is a story about “Dolly”, who is no longer part of Dolly. _

…

__ “It sounds more moody than I thought…”

“Nyaha! Don’t judge a story by its premise! The manga is actually very light-hearted and full of laughter! Because Kamii-sama is such a happy god!”

“Heh~?” Yuuki flips through the comic pages. “Yuuki is excited to see how this pans out. But uh, spoil Yuuki a little bit. Will this story have a happy ending?”

“Of course! Because “Dolly” has friends now!”

The girl in white giggles, then hums in contentment. “Good to know.”

Angie returns to work on her draft. Occasionally, the other occupant would peer over her shoulder, following the progress. 

Yuuki, despite having a more mellow presence than the rest of her family, is at the very core, a DICE member, which also means even her would never pass a chance for a good tease.

While the artist isn’t looking, the contriving small clown dips a finger into the bottle of ink, and rubs it on her friend’s face.

“Wah! You little-!”

“Hehe, an opening~ Angie gotta pay attention to her surroundings more, else your face won’t leave any clear spot left fo- Gah?!”

Irritated, Angie smears another line on the perpetrator’s cheek. She smirks in satisfaction, “That’s payback, fiend.”

“Oh no, you won’t get the last laugh…”

Hence the most fervent, fiery ink battle known in existence. Droplets of ink fly like drizzles. Spatters cover all surfaces. The half-finished work also falls victim to the onslaught. The two girls mercilessly lash on each other, minds go full intent to obliterate. 

Both laughters boom in the midst of warcry.

Only when the ‘ammunition’ ultimately runs out does the fight come to an end. Angie and Yuuki stare down at their opponent, flexing a dopey grin. 

“Pftt! Hehehe…”

“Nyahahaha!”

The two girls chortle to the point of wheezing, letting their own sounds drown out any other thoughts. So that they only live in the present, no sorrow, no fear. Just like old days. 

“Hey, Angie.”

The artist chokes on her own laughter to calm down. Her shoulders still shake from the impact.

“Do you think Kaede will remember her time with us?”

And all vibrations stop dead in their tracks. The tingling warmth vanishes in thin air.

Oh Kamii-sama, not now...

“Yuuki misses the time when all three of us were still a close-knit group of friends. Beside my family, you two were the only ones Yuuki had. Yet four years have passed since then, and there was no day where Yuuki didn’t wonder when the next time Kaede will bring her out for crepe, or you doodling portraits of us, then Yuuki will scribble on them just to rile you up…”

Angie’s voice is whisked away from her. This is the conversation the artist has been avoiding all these years. She debates whether to leave her friend in the dark and tell her everything will be okay…

“Yuuki thinks about it a lot. Maybe we should help Kaede recover what she forgot-”

“Then you wish for Kaede to remember that painful event as well? You do know there is a reason why her mind shut off those memories because they are so unbearable for her. Do you wish your friend to relive that traume then suffer because what cannot be undone. The wound finally closed, and now Yuuki wants to pry it open again?” Angie prays from the bottom of her heart that they could drop this topic all together. If there’s no means to rewrite past events, then the least they can do is to accept reality and leave the can of worms alone. Kaede cannot face that reality again, Yuuki cannot learn what’s going on, because the truth is...

“No!” The little girl retaliates, “Of course Yuuki wants Kaede to stay happy!”

“If so,  **please don’t mention this anymore** . Let Kaede heal at her own pace. For her sake.” Angie says ruefully. ‘And for your own sake as well’.

The little girl is dumbfounded at her friend’s response. She stands there, paralysed, as if watching the sky above shattering. She blinks once, then twice, then…

“No. Angie, we can’t run from this forever.” Yuuki stares straight forward, determined and Angie feels her stomach twist. Has her friend ever looked this resolute before? In her memories, this little girl before her had always seen herself as the black sheep of the family. 

Countless times has she praised her brothers and sisters for their intelligence, their skills, their courage in the face of tribulation. Not once did she save that for herself.

Yuuki always steps aside and watches. Not raising her opinions, not interfering, just watching.

Yet just recently, this yielding girl headed off on her own to face a bone-chilling killer, then got herself injured.

And now, very firm on her stance, Yuuki is facing Angie.

“Yuuki knows. It is rather selfish of her. But she can’t take it anymore! One of her best friends no longer remembers her, nor recognizes her, nor spends time with her. Since that fateful day, Kaede changed completely, more hateful, more cynical, but in the end, she’s still our Kaede, isn’t she? Someone Yuuki cares for dearly. And Yuuki is sure Kaede cared deeply for her and Angie, too!”

“Angie is sure she did, Yuuki, so understand-”

“Wouldn’t it be a loss for Kaede as well if she never recalls the memories she held dear? Wouldn’t that be equivalent to losing an essential part to her, like a limb, or a piece of her heart?” The girl sniffs at the height of emotion. Her hands clutched tightly on the hem of the pristine skirt. “Wouldn’t it be a loss if we can never go back to those times…?”

The artist can only release a hapless sigh. For Yuuki to get this distraught to the verge of tears, the idea of Kaede never returning to her previous state must have been so daunting. Angie found herself in the same position when it all just came down. She understands the hopelessness encircling her mindscape, the dull, numb, grey grains rousing every time she opened her eyes. 

Angie had hoped that Yuuki wouldn’t have to experience it. However, with the way this is going, that oblivion is only climbing higher and higher, leading towards the inevitable fall. 

The cat will be out of the box eventually, then its icky fur and rotten flesh will taint any onlooking eye.

Poor thing is long since dead.

Angie never expects to break it out to her friend, not now, not ever. However, perhaps this is the best time for the reveal, even if only a tiny bit. If not, then subsequent confession would be even harder to stomach. 

“She isn’t the Kaede we knew anymore.”

“Huh?”

“Angie tried so many times. Even outright saying it to her face. But Kaede never recalled anything. It is as if she _ refuses _ to remember.” There, she said it. Take it and run along. 

“No way…”, the DICE girl shakes her head in denial. “She  _ actively  _ makes herself forget? Then how…?”

“I’m sorry, Yuuki. We need to let it go. For the best.”

The artist lends her a shoulder to lean on. She can feel Yuuki’s small hand grabbing the back of her shirt, pulling at it to keep herself standing. 

“I will try. At least I need to see it with my own two eyes.”

And Angie’s breath hitches. No, please don’t do it, she pleads internally. ‘Don’t witness the appalling truth, hearing it from Angie is more than enough…’

“Only then will Yuuki make peace with the truth.”

There’s no stopping her, is there?

“Thank you, Angie. For trying to keep Yuuki from pain, and for telling her. From here, Yuuki will decide for herself.” The little girl declares with resolution and releases her hold on the fabric.

She steels herself and walks forward.

Just in time when a certain blond head peeks into the scene.

“Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?” Kaede clasps her hands together and offers an apologetic smile “I just want to see Yuuki a bit.”

“Kaede!” The aforementioned girl yelps in half-feigned surprise. “No, problems! Yuuki was about to look for you, too!”

“Tehee, is that so?” The pianist invites herself in. She inquisitively tilts to the side, making an observation between the two other occupants. “You know, both of you are kinda alike. You both refer to yourselves in third person. Haha, then there’re Tenko and Gonta doing the same as well...”

Kaede glances around the room’s interiors, whilst tapping the tip of her foot against the floor. “Um, Yuuki, is it? How’s the...”, the pianist sheepishly gestures at her shoulder, as if she is too ashamed to say it out loud.

“Oh, this. Don’t worry Kaede, it will heal in no time!”

Yuuki attempts to respond in a dismissive manner, but a tinge of nervousness manages to slip through. In a painfully familiar fashion, Kaede’s hand hovers above the layer of bandages and a pang of aching nostalgia shoots through Angie’s chest.

“I’m sorry, if only I could do something then…”

“Please don’t blame yourself. Yuuki went knowing the risk.”

Their exchange proceeds to common pleasantries, with Kaede trying to learn more about the little girl in front of her while Yuuki simply replies to any trivial question asked. However, the artist can’t help but notice her friend increasing fidgeting. Very subtly, the DICE girl squirms in place, her heels planted firmly on the ground to keep the body from staggering back and fleeing from the scene. 

Yuuki is very anxious, but also very determined.

Ironically, it only makes the pit of Angie’s stomach sink, already knowing the outcome.

When her conversing partner finally calls it a day with a sigh and about to exit the ‘studio’, Yuuki finds the courage to call out to her former friend.

“By the way..., Kaede?”

“Hmm?”, the pianist hums, ignorant of the other’s worry.

The little girl’s eyes dart from left to right, as she frantically searches for a way to testify her hypothesis.

“Is Kaede free any time? Yuuki would like to hang out with you at some point…”

Kaede stares at her wide-eyed, then snickers through her nose. “Pft! You get so worked up, I thought you were asking me for a date or something. Ah, wait”, the pianist mumbles, thoughtfully touching her chin, “technically, it can be counted as a date, right?”

Apparently the thought flusters the young girl. “Oh, no! Just friendly outings are good enough, no need to…” Yuuki jumps in her skin, face turning red. 

“Haha, even if it’s a date, I wouldn’t mind! Who would be able to resist such a cute girl like you?”

“Please Kaede, you are taking this to the next level…”

“Well, whatever. Of course we can hang out. In fact, I look forward to it! That would be lovely! So, anything in mind?”

“Um, as in, where Yuuki wants to go?”

“Yep! Since you are the local here, right? Surely little Yuuki will know the best places around!”

“Right, so…” Yuuki taps the tips of her fingers together, contemplating, “it has been some time since Yuuki last had some crepe, so she would like to taste some soon… Vanilla seems nice…”

Kaede nods at once, without hesitation. “One vanilla crepe coming right up!”

The girl in white blinks in low-key apprehension. She subtly sways, an action that will only be detected under keen eyes. 

“Then, we can go to buy Shie’s mangas together at the bookshop…”

“Oh, didn’t expect you to like Miss Shie’s works, but okie dokie! Angie, your mangas are awesome, too, so don’t take it personally, alright?”, the pianist jokes half-heartedly. Angie gives a non-offensive shrug.

And suggestions after suggestions, with each feedback Yuuki pales a bit more, her hope dies inside a little. 

At the same rate, Angie’s guts twist further and further, aware of her friend stepping closer to the brink out of blissful ignorance. The weight of words does not sting as much as the pierce of actions. Her mind screams at her to stop it, curb that momentum before that illusion is shattered to nothingness.

‘But Yuuki desires the truth, right? And she has the right to it.’

“Uh-huh! Anything else?”

At this point, that hope is left with only a shimmer. It looks like the younger one is taking every ounce of her will not to appear desperate. “Yuuki misses Kaede’s piano, too! She would like to hear it again when we come back. I’m sure we can find a piano somewhere around here, Nii and Nee will help.” She gulps, “Your playing is the best, afterall!”

“Hahaha, if you say so...” The pianist takes no seconds to agree. She rubs on the neck in embarrassment. “Yep! With pleasure!”

And with it, the last bit of hope is gone. A shame, really.

“Y-yeah! That would be great…”

“It’s settled then. I’m free anytime, so we can take off whenever you feel like it. Glad to do business with you, sweetie!” Kaede flashes a cheeky smile and comes in for a hug.

The girl at the receiving end weakly returns it. Only when her chin rests on Kaede’s shoulder, her face is out of the later’s view, does the forced expression melt into that of horror.

She averts the hollow gaze to Angie, searching for any kind of condolence. ‘ _ Is this real? Is this what you have seen all along? _ ’, she seems to ask. The artist can only offer a sad smile. 

The little girl’s lower lip trembles. With it, she says in disincline, “Thanks, Kaede. You really are Yuuki’s best friend.”

Kaede does one more squeeze before untangling the embrace, “No problem, see you soon!” The pianist blows a playful kiss, trying to mess with the other two.

And off she goes, leaving a carnage she unknowingly caused. 

....

Night soon covers up the dusk of twilight.

The first day sharing house with DICE ended with a cussing Miu and a yelling Ruuto dragged away by the ears by a very annoyed Kirumi. Part for fighting at the dinner table. Part for throwing food. And part for jumping right on the meals for a good wrestle.

Honestly, they deserved it. Kind of mean for Shuichi to remark, but he can't deny facts.

However, the night hasn't ended for him yet, it seems.

"Yo! Detective! Good to see you here!"

Endowed in milky moonlight are Yuuta, Midori, Miki and Shinya, the so-called "big bro" and "big sis" of the circus named DICE.

"Ya kept us waiting. Tsk, tsk. Time is gold, mister.”

Yuuta, quite enigmatically, slipped a small piece of note in his pocket, an invitation to see him outside at around 11.30. The timing is rather late. Most people have gone to bed, with the few night owls doing their own things in their respective bedrooms. Shuichi doubts it’s unintentional. 

“Um, so,...” clumsily, the ex-detective starts.

“Right, about why we summon you here”, the guy with swept bang clears his throat. “Hmm… how do I say this.”

“Just get to the point you dumb kid!” The tanned man laments. 

“Getting into it, old man!” Yuuta retorts, then coughs into his hand to recover from embarrassment. “Ehem, you are clever Shuichi. That would be helpful. We have a favour to ask. Can you, uh, use your deduction skills to, uh,...”

“Stop beating around the bush, mop head!”

“Look at yourself before talking, Afro!"

The guy folds arms in front of his chest and huffs in indignance. He paces back and forth, keeping the rest on their toes. The three other clowns, if not clicking their tongues, then tapping foot impatiently.

For a few times more than necessary, Yuuta waves his finger like a wand, as if finally saying something, only to cut it off half-way.

Shinya groans in the background.

“Why do you think we are here?” After an eternity, the clown talks.

“He’s off with that cryptic bullshit again…” The oldest man present grumbles.

“Ugh, those two are really peas in a pot, huh.” Miki replies.

“Oi! I heard that!”

Ignoring the jesters' shtick, Shuichi goes ahead to address the question presented to him.

“As in why is DICE here?” 

Yuuta turns away from the little scuffle, instantly flattens the pout on his lips, “Correct, smart cookie.”

“You said the water system at your place is busted.”

“Correct again. Though that's not the whole story. Any better guess?"

The boy with the hat drums fingers against his pants. He has a nagging feeling that there is more going on under the surface. Maki’s appearance, or rather, disappearance, DICE’s insistence in keeping their leader in the dark, the fact that said leader is separated from them…

“You’re keeping your Boss away because of Maki?”

“Andddddd we have a winner!” The clown flexes his toothy grin and claps in approval. "I noticed there was something wrong with the plumbing system from the start. No way that puny hiccup would get past these Super-human Orbs of Destruction. Not in a million years."

“Oh please, you make mistakes all the time, Yuuta.”

“Hololo, the only reason we were out of Kokichi's radar for a while. He has to keep hauling your ass off the ground." For extra damage, Midori adds, "The only thing he’s ever good for.”

“Seriously, how mean can you folks be?” 

"And you guys want me here because…", Shuichi quickly brings their attention back to the topic at hand before the lots stray too far.

"Ah yes, Shuichi. You are very smart, ahem, useful. Your presence here, with Maki-nee's sudden appearance, the stars have never aligned so perfectly." The jester, Jack, or rather, Yuuta, stands before him, their eyes connected. Truthful moonlight is thrown behind his back, silently swirling. The five of them freeze in the brevity, as if trapped inside another dimension.

"Whatever I say next, stay between the five of us here  _ only _ , alright? It will be our little  _ secret.  _ Other Ultimates should not hear about this exchange, neither should the rest of DICE", he emphasizes, " _ especially _ the rest of DICE".

Shuichi feels the hair on his back rising. His mind scrambles to explain the sensation in his stomach. It twitches as soon as the word "secret" leaves Yuuta's mouth. Worry, fear, or is it something else? Something Shuichi has yet been able to place. What is it trying to tell him?

"Will you do us a favour, Mr.Detective? To help us save our precious Maki-nee."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toilet paper up the ceiling. No, i know nothing about that. Absolutely not a stunt i pulled when i was smaller.
> 
> Recall Miu's mysterious lost object in chap 5, somehow DICE knew about it. Sorry my girl, your secret is out in the open
> 
> Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female domestic sheep, and the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. (Source: wikipedia)
> 
> \---
> 
> Other than that, if a few things in this chapter is confusing... just take it at surface level, alright?


End file.
